Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Celia Beer

2016-05-03
  • Servings : 2
  • Prep Time : 5m
  • Ready In : 20m

Cooking with wine is quite common, but have you ever tried cooking with beer?

Recently, I was invited to try Celia, a lovely Gluten-free Beer and to develop a recipe with it. I was also sent a packet of Arborio Rice and a cookbook for some inspiration.

20160503-P1160181

I was really curious, having never cooked with beer before.

So I went off and got some Porcini Mushrooms and some lovely Parmesan for the risotto.

20160503-P1160185

It was so much fun cooking it and the risotto was really lovely. I’ll share the recipe in a bit,  but first, more about Celia.

20160503-P1160180

This is Celia Organic Lager and Celia Dark.

Celia is a 100% organic premium craft Czech Lager.

It is brewed with local, sustainably farmed Saaz hops and barley without additives. A natural carbonation process ensures a non-bloating refreshing lager. It has a delicate bitterness,  a beautiful golden colour & pleasant malty aroma. The beer is nice to drink and cook. Not overpowering in the finished meal at all. It is a perfect complement for roasted chicken, grilled meat and fresh seafood.

Celia Dark, is a smooth Czech  Lager with a nutty , caramel flavout that is just perfect for red meats and desserts . It is made with premium ingredients including Bavarian malt and is flavoured with Saaz hops. It is densely black in colour has a lovely ruby red hue and you can almost taste the underlying tones of rye. this one is my favourite.

Where can you get Celia?

A bottle of Celia, 330 ml costs £2.49 and can be bought in most supermarkets, but currently, Ocado is running an offer until the 10th of May and you can get 2 Celia beers and Rice for £5.50. So hurry!

Now, let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

  • Dried Porcini mushrooms- 25 gms
  • Olive oil- 1 tbsp
  • Garlic, finely chopped- 1
  • Shallots, finely chopped- 2 or chopped Onion- 1/4 cup
  • Arborio rice- 150 gm
  • Celia beer- 100 ml
  • Butter- 1 tbsp
  • Parmesan, grated- as required
  • Parsley, finely chopped- 2 tbsp
  • Boiling water, to soak mushrooms- 500 ml

Method

20160503-P1160187

20160503-P1160190

 1. Soak dried Porcini mushrooms in 500 ml boiling water. Keep aside for 20 minutes. If using fresh mushrooms additionally, use 100 gms of those. Chop and keep aside.

2. Chop the shallots, parsley. Grate the garlic.

20160503-P1160191 20160503-P1160192

3. After 20 minutes, strain the mushrooms and reserve the soaking liquid. Chop mushrooms and keep aside.

20160503-P1160193
3. The soaking liquid is a dark colour of tea. It adds a lot of flavour to the risotto. Please do not chuck it away.
20160503-P1160182 20160503-P1160183
4. Now the Arborio rice. It is a stout, short grain rice. Measure 150 gm. There is no need to wash the rice before use.

20160503-P1160194

5. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the shallots and garlic for 5 minutes on a medium heat.

20160503-P1160196

6. When the shallots are soft, add in the chopped mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. It is very important to season mushrooms straightaway as they absorb all the flavour from the salt, pepper and garlic. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until soft.

7. Add in the rice and fry for 1 minute, until the rice is mixed well with the rest of the ingredients.

20160503-P1160197

8.Add the beer, let it bubble.

9. Add in 125 ml of  reserved mushroom liquid. Slowly simmer and keep stirring until it is absorbed. Then add in the liquid bit by bit until the liquid is absorbed.

10. Most Risottos are AL-dente, but if you want a softer risotto, feel free to add 100 ml more liquid. The cooking process will take about 15-20 minutes.

11. Add in the butter, chopped parsley, grated parmesan and serve hot!

20160503-P1160206

Enjoy!

20160503-P1160211

Note:

  1. You can make this with any mushrooms, a mix of dried and fresh or just fresh mushrooms. You can try wild mushrooms to make it special but even a risotto with regular closed cup mushrooms or chestnuts mushroom will be delicious.
  2. For those of you who do not want to cook with beer, go ahead and use water, Remember to keep the amount of liquid constant.
  3. If you are only using fresh mushrooms, you will not need water to soak the mushrooms. Use 600 ml boiling water
  4. Cooking Risotto is different from cooking regular rice, so please stand and stir. Do not abandon your risotto while it is cooking.
  5. For a risotto that is more AL Dente, add the water bit by bit. But if you like your rice softer, add in the water all at one go. But please keep on stirring!
*With  thanks to Foodies100, Celia Lager and Gallo Ric  for sending me samples to review.  The offer at Ocado is for a limited period and ends 10h March’16. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review.  All opinions and experiences expressed herein are,  as always, my very own.
Ingredients: , If you like this recipe, please share, or leave a comment below. It only takes a click!