Turmeric Root and Wild Garlic Risotto

This beautiful risotto is my first wild garlic recipe of 2023! Creamy, tangy, and an easy way to fill the family. If you don’t have wild garlic, substitute it with spinach/chard/kale and pick some fresh onion leaves or spring onions (all to be cooked in the same way listed below).

Ready in 25 minutes, this recipe is best made in a wide, deep sided frying pan to maximise the contact the rice has with the heat. Towards the end, as the stock has been absorbed, the rice will start to stick and form crispy bits. This adds a subtle but delicious nuttiness to the dish.

Recipe - Takes 25 minutes, feeds 4

Ingredients:

• 300g Arborio rice

• 200g mushrooms, halved or quartered

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced

• 1 inch / 2cm of fresh turmeric root, finely grated

• 1 litre vegetable stock

• 40ml malt vinegar / cider vinegar

• 50g vegan butter / unsalted butter

• 100g vegan creme fraiche / young goat's cheese

• 50g wild garlic, roughly chopped

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Step 1.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, mushroom and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are browned and the onion and garlic softened.

Step 2.

Add the Arborio rice and turmeric root and stir well to coat in the oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the rice grains are slightly translucent. Preheat the stock until simmering.

Step 4.

Pour in the vinegar and stir until it has been absorbed by the rice. Add the stock (strictly, this should be done a ladle at a time, but you can be lazy and chuck it all in together). Cook for around 15-20 minutes, stirring every five minutes, until the rice is tender and creamy.

Step 5.

Add the butter and vegan creme fraiche / goat's cheese to the risotto and stir until melted and combined. Finally, stir in the finely chopped wild garlic and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.