5 fat black garlic cloves, popped out of the skins
65g butter
5tbsp extra virgin olive oil
300g mini portobello mushrooms, skin removed, trimmed and chopped
200g exotic mushroom selection, trimmed and chopped
200g onions, finely chopped
½tsp pul biber
300g Arborio rice
60ml white wine (not too dry)
95g Italian hard cheese, finely grated
15g flat-leaf parsley, leaves removed and chopped
Method
Bring the stock and 750ml water to the boil in a pan. Put the dried porcini and three of the black garlic cloves in a bowl and cover with 250ml of the hot stock mixture. Leave to soften for around 15 minutes, then drain over a bowl to catch the soaking liquid. Squash the garlic on to a board with heavy cook’s knife and finely chop the drained porcini into the garlic paste and set aside. Add the soaking liquid to the stock mixture, leaving behind any grit that has settled in the bowl.
Melt 25g of the butter with 1tbsp of the oil in a large heavy-based pan and add the chopped fresh mushrooms. Stir-fry until they give off juices, then drain over a bowl to catch the juices. Put two-thirds of them aside in one bowl and one-third aside in another and add the juices to the stock pan.
Add a further 25g butter and 2tbsp oil to the pan along with the onions. Stir in, and soften the onions for around 7 minutes. Squash the remaining garlic to a paste and add two-thirds of it to the onions. Put the other one-third to one side. Add the pul biber and rice, stir and add the white wine. When the wine evaporates, add the garlic and porcini paste and stir well.
Start adding the hot stock, one ladle at a time, stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. As the stock is absorbed into the rice, add more. After 10 minutes, add two-thirds of the cooked mixed mushrooms. The rice will take around 20 minutes in total to cook and should be just tender. Add around 50g of the Italian hard cheese, 1tbsp oil and the remaining butter. Put the lid on and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Fold in the parsley and season with freshly ground black pepper and crushed sea salt flakes to taste.
Meanwhile, mix the squashed third of the black garlic set aside earlier with the rest of the grated cheese, rubbing it together with your fingertips.
Heat the remaining 1tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the one-third of cooked mushrooms set aside earlier, to brown a little. Top each serving with a spoonful of the mushrooms and scatter the cheese and garlic mixture over the top to serve.
Recipes and food styling by Linda Tubby, photography and prop styling by Angela Dukes
