I can not begin to explain in words how divine this dish is. It does take a little elbow grease and uses some ingredients that may not be an every day pantry staple. But it is unquestionable worth the effort. The earthy, meaty portobello mushrooms nestle on top of the creamy buckwheat risotto and are bought together in a glorious finish with tangy goats curd... and of course, who could forget the truffle oil. Sigh.
Boil the kettle and pour about 1/3 cup of water over the dried shiitake mushrooms in a bowl and sit aside.
Fill a saucepan with the stock and place on top of the stove to bring to boil. Once boiling, turn to a very low simmer and cover. In another saucepan on medium heat sauté onion and garlic in olive oil. Once transparent add buckwheat and and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes.
Turn up the heat and add the wine. This will bubble and spit so be careful! Keep stirring until all the wine is absorbed. Now add some of the hot stock and continue to stir through until taken up by the buckwheat grains.
Take the soaked dried shiitake from the bowl of water and finely chop. Add these in with the next ladle of stock. Continue with this process of adding stock until buckwheat becomes soften through. The process should take approximately 15-20 minutes. (There may be some stock left over, dependent on the consistency of your risotto).
Whilst the risotto is cooking, place the sliced portotbello mushrooms in a hot pan with a good splash of rice bran oil and the chopped marjoram and thyme. Using tongs, turn them every 3-4 minutes creating a lovely deep crust on the mushrooms as you do so. This process should take at least 10-15 minutes.
Once the buckwheat risotto is ready (as described above), turn to low heat and stir through parsley, manchego, liquid from soaked shiitakes and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Place lid on saucepan and leave for 1-2 minutes to settle.
To serve, place a serve of the buckwheat risotto on a plate, top with the portobello mushrooms and finely a good dollop of goats curd. It using, finish with a drizzle of truffle oil.
Hint: Traditionally a risotto should be oozy on the plate when served.
*If you cannot find goats curd, then use some lovely creamy chevre instead.
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