Mushroom and Lemon Risotto

Mushroom and Lemon Risotto:

6 cups hot chicken stock
a handful of dried porcini mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 2/3 cup risotto rice
3/4 cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large handfuls of shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and sliced
chopped thyme
chopped parsley
chopped tarragon
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tbsp butter
Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
extra virgin olive oil

Heat the chicken stalk on medium-low in a large pot(or dutch oven). Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and pour in just enough hot stock to cover. Leave for a couple of minutes until they have softened. Spoon them out of the stock and chop them, reserving the soaking liquid.

In a large pan, heat a 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the onion and celery. Saute them for about 10 minutes, then turn the heat up and add the rice. Give it a stir. Stir in the white wine. Keep stirring until the liquid has cooked into the rice. Now, strain the porcini soaking liquid and pour the liquid into the pan and add the chopped porcini, a good pinch of salt and your first ladle of hot stock. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring the starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. This will take about 30 minutes.

In a separate saute pan, saute the shiitake mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil for five minutes or until they are slightly softened. Put the shiitake mushrooms into a bowl and add the chopped herbs (parsley, tarragon, & thyme) a pinch of salt, pepper and the lemon juice. Using your hands, toss everything together.

Take the risotto off the heat and check the seasoning carefully. Stir in the butter and the Parmesan cheese. You want it to be creamy in texture, so add a bit more stock if you think it needs it. Put a lid on and leave the risotto to relax for about 3 minutes.

Take your risotto and add a little more seasoning or Parmesan if you like. Serve risotto topped with some mushrooms, a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan, lemon zest, and salt and pepper.