Ingredients
- 1 small handful of dried porcini
- 2 sticks of celery
- 2 red onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- 150 gr. risotto rice or pearl barley
- 100 ml white wine
- 500 ml hot organic vegetable stock
- 200 gr. mixed wild mushrooms
- 100 gr. pistachios
- 100 gr. almonds
- 125 gr. vegetarian Cheddar cheese , omit to make vegan nut roast
- 1 fresh red chilli
- 1 lemon
- 2 sprigs of fresh sage
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 large free-range eggs , omit to make vegan nut roast
- 1 handful of sourdough or ciabatta breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
- 200 gr. fresh cranberries
Method
- Soak the dried porcini in a little boiling water.
- Trim and finely chop the celery, and peel and finely chop the onions and garlic.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over a low heat.
- Add the celery and onion, and cook for 10′, until soft and sweet, then add the garlic and cook for another 1-2′.
- Turn up the heat and add the rice.
- Cook for a minute or so until you hear it snap, crackle and pop, then add the wine and stir until absorbed.
- Drain the porcini, sieve and discard any grit from the liquid and add to the risotto pan, stirring until absorbed.
- Finely chop the porcini and add to the pan.
- Add the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring each one in until it has been completely absorbed, about 20′.
- Stir as much as you can, this is what will make it creamy.
- Once the rice is al dente transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 190 ºC.
- Fry the wild mushrooms in a little oil over a medium heat for 5 – 10′, until they are just starting to crisp.
- Toast, then bash the nuts into coarse pieces, or quickly pulse in a food processor.
- Coarsely grate the cheddar, finely chop the chilli and finely grate the lemon zest.
- Pick and roughly chop all the herb leaves.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs.
- Add the breadcrumbs, cheddar, chilli, lemon zest, eggs and chopped herbs, season to the rissoto and mix well.
- Butter a 20 cm loaf tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
- Cook the sugar and the cranberries in a pan over a medium heat for 1 – 2′, then tip into the tin and spread evenly.
- Pile on the nut-roast mixture and pack it down with the back of a spoon.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45′, then remove the foil and cook for a further 15′, when is ready remove it from the oven and leave to settle for 10′.
- Flip the whole lot over, then carefully lift the tin off.