Mushroom risotto with foccacia

Rich and creamy risotto with freshly baked foccacia bread, a real celebration of Italian flavours and an ideal starter or lunchtime dish. This recipe uses rosemary on the focaccia but you could use chopped olives, chorizo or simply sea salt and olive oil.

Serves 2-4

Risotto

2-4 Overflowing handful's of Risotto rice (Arborio or Carnaroli)
1 Large white onion, chopped finely
20g Dried mixed mushroom, re hydrated in boiling hot water and left to stand for 20mins, liquid reserved
100ml Madeira wine
1 pint Chicken stock
25g Butter
50ml Milk
100g Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Foccacia
500g Strong white bread flour, sieved
300ml Warm water
7g Dried yeast (one packet)
10 Tablespoon's olive oil
2 tsp fine salt
Pinch of fresh rosemary (dried also works well)
Pinch of sea salt flakes


1. For the focaccia, place 100ml of the water in a jug and add the yeast, stir and set aside for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, add the flour, 2 tablespoon's of olive oil and the salt and add in the yeast mixture, stirring to bring the dough together. Add in another 100ml of warm water and stir in again, when combined add in the remaining warm water and mix thoroughly, this should give you a wet dough.

2. Rub 2 tablespoons of olive oil onto a work surface and spread around to ensure the worktop is greased thoroughly, place the dough onto the oiled surface and knead for 10 minutes. The dough will still have a wet consistency but should become smoother as the kneading progresses, add a further 2 tablespoon's of olive oil to a clean mixing bowl and grease thoroughly, add the dough once kneaded to the bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place for around an hour allowing the dough to rise.

3. Once the dough has risen, line a baking tray (around 30cm x 20cm) with baking parchment that has been thoroughly greased with 2 tablespoon's of olive oil. Add the dough to the tray and spread out evenly to match the shape of the tray, using the tips of your fingers imprint little dimples into the dough. Leave uncovered to rise for 45-50 minutes, set the oven to 220C.

4. Once risen, top the dough with the rosemary and sea salt flakes with 2 tablespoon's of olive oil, bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the foccacia is golden brown and springy to the touch. Remove and leave to cool, once cooled remove the paper and keep warm.

5. For the risotto, add a dash of olive oil to a large pan and add the chopped onions, sautee for 4-5 minutes on a low-medium heat or until the onions are soft.

6. Strain the mushroom's and add their juice to a wide saucepan along with the chicken stock. Add the mushroom's to the onions and fry gently for 2-3 minutes, add in madeira wine and reduce by two-thirds. Add in the rice and stir, turning the heat up to medium-high.

7. Add a ladelful of stock and stir into the rice until the stock has evaporated, stirring all the time, this will give the risotto its creamy texture, repeat these actions until the stock has been used to the rice is soft or 'al dente' depending how you like your risotto. Once the rice is cooked and the risotto thickened, check for seasoning and drop the heat to medium-low, add the milk, butter, and parmesan and stir.

8. Add the remaining olive oil to the focaccia and serve with the risotto.