Mushroom & Rice Casserole

Chanterelles are a type of mushroom I never really discovered until after I moved away from Norway. In the supermarkets there, they usually sell them fresh and are quite common. Here in Glasgow however, I could only find some fried chanterelles in a Mexican shop, but you know what? They were a treat!

You can swap the rice for arborio rice and make this into a creamier risotto if you like. Then, just remember to "feed" the rice with a ladleful of stock at a time for the best result!

I love the contrast in colour between the humble closed cup mushrooms and the lovely almost red-ish chanterelles!

Mushroom & Rice Casserole
(Serves 2-3)

A knob of light butter
1 fat garlic clove (or 2 smaller ones), finely chopped
1 leek, chopped
30g dry chanterelles (or other mushrooms)
500ml vegetable stock
150g brown rice
250g mushrooms, chopped or sliced
2 good splashes of white wine vinegar/half a glass of dry white wine
60g cheese, grated (or 20g parmesan)
Salt and black pepper to taste

- Start by boiling up water for the stock and the chanterelles. Have the dried mushrooms in one bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak. In another bowl or measuring jug, mix your stock and set aside.

- In a medium/large casserole, melt the butter. Once the pan is hot, chuck in the garlic and leek and soften for about 5 minutes. Now, pour in the rice and stir until it's covered and glistening.

- Pour in the stock, and add the white wine vinegar (or wine), and a little pepper. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Then, add the mushrooms, both the soaked (keep the excess water!) and fresh ones. Pour in a little bit of the mushroom water if the mixture looks a little dry. Give the mixture a good stir, and cover and cook for five minutes.

- The last step, is to add the cheese, mix well to combine and turn the hob off. Once the cheese has melted, it's ready to serve! But do remember to season to taste right before - just in case!

Have you had a good weekend so far?
I was feeling sooo tired at the end of a long working week, but after going for Mexican last night at the lovely, quaint Bibi's Cantina, a couple of drinks in Velvet Elvis in good company, and then starting this morning with Norwegian Waffles and a workout before noon, I feel pretty perky actually! Hopefully my new flatmate and I will get to sign the lease for the new flat later on today - fingers crossed!


Recipe by yours truly,

- Jules