Recipe - Wild Mushroom And Barley Risotto In Parmesan Baskets

PARMESAN BASKETS
25 g Fine polenta flour
50 g Parmesan cheese; freshly
grated

RISOTTO
50 g Butter
1 small Onion; peeled and finely
; chopped
450 g Fresh porcini; wiped clean
and
; cut or sliced up
300 g Pearl barley
1 Sprig fresh rosemary; stalk
discarded and
; leaves finely
; chopped
150 ml Dry white wine
1 One half l Hot vegetable stock
1 bn Fresh chives; snipped
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Shavings of Parmesan cheese
to serve

Make one Parmesan cheese basket at a time. Preheat the grill.

Sprinkle one quarter of the polenta in a fine, even layer over the bottom
of a nonstick pan. Cover with one quarter of the Parmesan cheese. Cook
over a high heat for 2 minutes, then place under the hot grill for 2
minutes to cook the top.

Remove the 'pancake' from the pan and drape over an upturned sugar bowl to
give a basket shape. Repeat with the remaining polenta and Parmesan to make
4 baskets in total.

Leave until cold and set before removing from the bowls, To make the
risotto, melt 15g of the butter in a large pan and add the onion. Cover
with dampened greaseproof paper (the paper should touch the onion), then
put on the lid. Cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft but not coloured.

Stir the porcini, barley and rosemary into the onion and cook for 2
minutes. Stir in the wine and simmer until the wine has been absorbed.
Gradually add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring and adding more
stock as each addition is absorbed. The total cooking time will be 3040
minutes.

Stir the chives and remaining butter into the risotto, and season well with
salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the Parmesan baskets on individual serving plates and spoon the
risotto into them. Garnish with Parmesan cheese shavings and serve with
more freshly ground black pepper.

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