Magazine Mondays: Porcini and Spinach Risotto

This may be the first risotto I've made.  It won't be the last.  I loved it.  This recipe for magazine mondays comes from Olive magazine, February 2009.  I followed this recipe pretty closely except I thought I had dried porcini in the pantry and they turned out to be dried trumpet mushrooms instead.  Since I wasn't sure they would make an acceptable replacement, I used only a couple tablespoons of them.

Porcini and Spinach Risotto

(2 Servings)

dried porcini  25 g (almost 1 oz)

butter 50 g  (1/2 stick)

onion 1 small, finely chopped

garlic 1 clove, crushed

chestnut mushrooms 200 g, sliced (I used white button mushrooms) (about 7 oz.)

risotto rice 150 g (arborio rice)

white wine a glass (I used about 1/2 cup)

vegetable stock 750 ml (hot)

spinach 100 g, washed and chopped

shaved parmesan to toss on top

Soak porcini in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes.  Lift out the mushrooms and strain the liquid through a sieve to remove any grit and keep liquid for the risotto.  Roughly chop the porcini.

Heat butter in a wide shallow pan and cook onion and garlic until softened.  Remove the garlic if you've kept it whole.  Add the chestnut mushrooms and cook 5 minutes.  Add porcini and risotto rice and stir until coated.

Add wine and cook until it's all absorbed.  Add stock and porcini liquid, gradually, while stirring, until rice is tender but still has a little bite.  (You may not need all the stock.)  Stir in the spinach until just wilted.  Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve.