Spinach Risotto With Sautéed Champignons

Spring is coming with a lot of “green” and so does this risotto. “Green like the plants” from the spinach and “brown like the earth” from the champignons, to celebrate starting of this beautiful season. Well balanced and light, this recipe can be an interesting vegan variation for a classic risotto.

The recipe …

The champignons

Light and healthy, just gently simmered in a small amount of liquid. Peel and cut the champignons mushrooms in half centimetre thick slices, season them with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, mix them well in a large bowl then put them in a thick bottom skillet. Peel and chop the scallions in thin slices and add them over the champignons. Finely chop the dried tomatoes and add them to the skillet with a glass of water. Cook at low fire with the lid on then take off the lid and continue cooking until almost all of the liquid evaporates. Turn off the heat and put the lid on until you serve them.

The spinach

In a proper sized pot, add abut 1 litre of water and half teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Add the spinach, lower the heat and let it simmer about 3 minutes, then take it out, drain the water and let it chill about 10 minutes before finely chopping it. You can also use a blender.

The risotto

Prepare a quick vegetable soup by gently simmering carrots, onions and celery. For 100 grams of rice you need about 400 - 450 ml of liquid but you can add hot water in the soup if you need more liquid or the soup is more concentrated.

Chop a medium onion and place it into a thick pot with two table spoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then add a ladle of soup and bring to a simmer. Although the original recipe starts with sweating the onion until it becomes translucent, I’ll go a bit lighter here. Then we apply the risotto method.

Any quality rice for risotto works (I used Arborio). Start by adding all the rice quantity in the thick pot where the liquid is simmering, keep it on low heat and mix often until the rice incorporates all the liquid, then add more liquid with a ladle. Continue mixing and adding small quantities of hot liquid until the risotto becomes soft and creamy. This process can take between 25 to 34 minutes depending on the rice you are using. After the first 15 minutes of cooking you can add the chopped or blended spinach and continue mixing to incorporate.. At this point you can add some chopped celery and carrots you used for the risotto liquid. Cook at low heat ,mix from time to time and taste for salt until it is ready. After you turn of the heat give it a drizzle of olive oil for a nice shine and a final mix. Let it rest about 5 minutes before serving but not too much because it is getting thicker while cooling down.

After you put the risotto on the serving plate make a hole in the middle and add the champignons in that area. Sprinkle over some pine seeds and a few drops of olive oil and… Enjoy !

INGREDIENTS - for two portions

Organic or “Best you can get” !