A Trip to Borough Market & A Risotto of Pearled Spelt with Wild Mushrooms

One beautifully sunny day last week I paid a visit to one of my favourite places and got a bit snap happy. 

London has lots of fantastic markets and although Borough is somewhat of a tourist trap, particularly on a weekend, it is still a great place to take a wander.

First off - Monmouth Coffee. The queue tends to stretch out of the door and down the street, but it is well worth the wait. They know their coffee and it is the best - smooth, rounded and rich with a subtle sharpness.

Moving on through the hordes, bunches of flowers feature alongside stalls brimming with all sorts of artfully displayed vegetables, bread, fish, preserves, chocolate… 

I went to seek refuge in Neal's Yard Dairy. Total heaven for any lifelong cheese devotee.

How do you approach an angry welsh cheese? 

....Caerphilly!

I wandered round, soaking up the sights and becoming increasingly hungry. So headed for this stall on the edge of the market to sate my hankering for cheese. They serve up generous helpings of new potatoes with melted raclette smeared over the top

But, the cheese toastie's reputation preceded it

The rumours were not mistaken - crunchy, golden toasted sourdough bread surrounding rich and tangy melted cheese with a subtle alliaceous (proud of this word) edge. Totally delightful!!

I was a happy bunny. So with my bag brimming with goodies, I bounded off down the Southbank alongside the swarms of tourists to catch up with some friends.

A Risotto of Pearled Spelt with Wild Mushrooms

There aren't many places where you can find such wonderful mushrooms. So, wanting to put mine to good use, I made this spelt and wild mushroom risotto. 

Spelt is an ancient form of wheat introduced by the Romans to Britain, and it is, apparently, better for you than wheat. Either way, it takes on flavour well and its nuttiness lends itself well to the earthy mushrooms.

Ingredients:

200g Pearled Spelt

25g dried porcini mushrooms (soaked in 150mls boiling water)

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

Sprig of thyme (chopped)

150ml white wine

About 1 Litre of stock (chicken or vegetable bouillon will do)

Salt and Pepper

50ml double cream or creme fraiche (optional - to add richness)

200g or so of wild mushrooms

50g butter

1 clove garlic

Sprig chopped parsley

Sprig of chopped parsley and chives to garnish

Parmesan to serve

First soak the spelt in lukewarm water and the porcini in 150ml boiling water both for half an hour or so. 

Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and soften in some olive oil. Once soft add in the garlic and cook a little longer. After a couple of minutes, drain the spelt and add into the pan. Drain the porcini mushrooms (reserving the liquid) chop roughly and add into the pan with the thyme and white wine and reduce.

Add the porcini soaking liquid into the hot stock and then gradually, ladle by ladle (as you would any risotto) add the stock into the risotto. Simmer gently, stirring all the while. It will take around half an hour for the grains to swell and soften. 

Meanwhile, heat a big pan with a knob of butter and a little olive oil. Slice up the mushrooms and toss into the pan on a high heat, followed by the clove of garlic and a little salt and pepper. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan as this will stop the mushrooms from caramelizing. Fry quickly for a few minutes, until the mushrooms are golden. Stir in the parsley and set aside.

Taste the risotto for seasoning, at this stage you can stir in some cream, if you're into that sort of thing - and lets face it, who isn't?

Serve topped with the sauteed mushrooms, herbs and some grated parmesan.