Lemon Myrtle and Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

1litre                           Vegetable or Chicken stock

2Tbs                           olive oil

1x                                Spanish/red onion finely diced

250g                           sliced mushrooms (any can be used, so be adventurous)

1 ½ cups                    Arborio (short grained) rice

½ cup                         white wine (dry is best)

Handful                      baby spinach leaves

Handful                      basil leaves (if you need to use dry make it ½ tsp and put it in after you add the rice)

¾ cup                         grated parmesan

2Tbs                           butter

2Tbs                           The Bitter Bush Lemon Myrtle Essence

Method

Boil the kettle and make up a litre of stock or if you have liquid stock heat it up.

Using a heavy-based deep frying pan heat the olive oil over a medium heat then add the mushrooms and onions. Cook until the onions are soft but don’t let them brown.

Rinse and drain the rice well.

Add rice to the pan and stir for 1min until the rice becomes slightly translucent.

Add the wine and stir until it absorbs into the rice.

Add the hot stock in small increments (about ½ a cup at a time) and stir until the stock absorbs. Continue until all the stock is gone and the rice has become tender.

Remove from the heat and add the butter, basil, spinach, cheese and The Bitter Bush Lemon Myrtle Essence. Stir well and cover the pan. Leave it for a couple of min then serve.

It is lovely if served with a little extra parmesan, a couple of basil leaves and a small wedge of lemon.

For an alternative you can add grilled chicken to the above risotto recipe