This creamy spelt and mushroom risotto is so tasty it will leave you wanting seconds. This is a great meal idea to serve up for veggie pals who will probably welcome a change from the usual pasta dishes they get given whenever they go to dinner parties. The humble mushroom is also a great food to chow down on if you are feeling a bit low – as these little vitamin packed treats are also a great source of the feel-good mineral selenium.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 x 250g pack Merchant Gourmet Spelt
1
x large shallot
3 x garlic cloves
250g chestnut mushrooms
3tbsp coconut cream
¼tsp English mustard
20g toasted pine nuts
20g curly leaf parsley
Zest & juice of ½ lemon
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Vegan parmesan
Sea salt & black pepper
Roasted cherry tomatoes (to serve)
Method
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan or skillet.
Finely chop the shallot and add to pan. Season and sweat until translucent.
In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of oil in a small skillet. Slice the mushrooms and add to pan.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and let them cook over a low heat until they begin to exude their juices.
Mince the garlic and add to pan. Stir to coat and cook for a further four minutes.
Add the spelt to the pan along with the shallots. Pour over any excess liquid from the mushrooms and let the spelt absorb the flavours.
Once the mushrooms are reasonably dry, transfer to the spelt pan and stir to combine.
Add the coconut cream, lemon zest, juice, mustard and season generously.
Cook gently for around three minutes before tossing in the toasted pine nuts and finely chopped parsley.
Roast some vine tomatoes in a pre-heated oven at 220°C for around 20 minutes before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Merchant Gourmet
