Mushroom Orzotto

Risotto is a classic Italian dish and for good reason – it manages to satisfy four out of the five senses to spectacular effect. However, risotto is notorious for being a little laborious, so it can often be refreshing to embark on something easier, lighter and quicker. Whereas risotto takes half an hour or so to perfect, this smashingly named orzotto is ready in as little as half the time. Of course, the texture won’t be quite the same, but it’ll certainly be delicious.

When rice is cooked it releases starch as a result of liquid permeating its surface. The shorter the grain of rice, the more starch will be released (due to the type of starch contained within) – arborio rice is used in risotto because it produces a creamy, starchy consistency. On the other hand, pasta “lets go” of far less starch during the cooking process, thus engendering a lighter consistency. However, it would be a shame to lose entirely the characteristics of a good risotto – the presence of single cream mitigates any potential misplacements.

If you are food revellers of vegan ilk, it may prove a little tricky to create a genuinely satisfying orzotto – without the presence of starch or dairy fat thickening without altering the flavour entirely could prove tricky. Luckily for you lot, I have in my possession a rather stunning recipe for mushroom risotto perfectly suited to you conscientious objectors, or “conchies”.

n.b. this recipe is inspired by a similar dish which features in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s ‘River Cottage Veg Everyday’ – a cracking purchase and one of the only recipe books I use.

Mushroom Orzotto {recipe}

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 200g orzo

• 250g mushrooms, thickly sliced

• 2 cloves of garlic, mashed

• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary

• 150ml single cream

• A knob of butter

• Olive oil

• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish

• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add a generous pinch of salt and a drizzle of oil. Heat a knob of butter, with a little olive oil in a heavy based pan and start frying the garlic and mushrooms. Add the orzo to the water.

2. Once the mushrooms have given off some of their water and started to brown reduce the heat and add the rosemary. Drain the orzo once soft (10 minutes) and add to the mushrooms along with the cream. Bring it all together, season to taste, stir through the parsley and serve with a garnish.

Cost: Orzo is a fairly cheap pasta though hard to find – you can pick it up for around £1/500g. Mushrooms are by far the most expensive ingredient in this dish, but at as little as £1/250g they still go far for their price. All in all, this tribute to risotto should set one back no more than around £2.