Another “accidental” risotto, which came about after seeing some lovely chopo mushrooms at the market yesterday. And then the guy made me an offer I couldn’t refuse (just before closing time on Saturday is a good time to hit the market). These chopos were cultivated, which don’t have the same deep flavour as wild ones, but still a nice change from regular white mushrooms. They were also small enough that I just cooked them whole. And thus a new (for me) risotto was born.

Ingredients and instructions below…

• 3 tbsps olive oil, divided
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 small onion (or spring onions), diced
• 250 grams chopos
• 175 grams arugula, washed & dried
• 400 grams chorizo criollo
• 2 cups (370 grams) aborio rice
• 1/2 cup (250 ml) dry white wine
• 6 -7 cups hot chicken broth
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp ground chilis (optional)

Fry the chorizo in a large pan with a bit of olive oil until cooked through, then cut up into bite-sized chunks, brown those, and set aside. Next, sauté the whole chopos in the same pan until tender, about 4-5 minutes and put to one side. You should now have your three ingredients ready, including the arugula. Heat up the stock.

In a large skillet, sauté the garlic and onion in the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil until translucent, then add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, about 1 minute. This cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Then stir in the wine and continue stirring until it is nearly all evaporated.

Now comes the part that requires some patience (if you don’t have a sous chef). Add the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, slowly stirring on a med-low heat and making sure the rice doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth until the risotto is slightly firm and creamy, or al dente. This takes about 20 minutes.

When the rice is done transfer it to a large pot or bowl. Stir in the butter and grated parmesan, then add the arugula, and stir well until it has wilted. Add the cooked chorizo and chopos. Stir and serve.