Recipe: non-alcoholic Guinness risotto with peas and wild mushrooms

Paul, a chef and Community Champion for Alcohol Change UK, has put together a series of recipes to try during Dry January. This comforting risotto is the first of three! Find out more about Paul’s work by visiting his website.

• A couple of knobs of butter
• 220g Carnaroli rice
• 125ml of Non-Alcoholic Guinness
• 1 litre of good quality hot vegetable stock
• Handful of frozen peas
• Handful of wild mushrooms, finely sliced
• Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
• 2 bay leaves
• Seasoning to taste
• Fresh Basil leaves for decoration

1. In a large frying pan, add the butter and cook on a medium heat until it starts to foam, then add your mushrooms, peas, bay leaves and rice, coating every grain of rice with the butter. The foaming butter will give a nutty taste to your final dish.
2. Cook for a few minutes, then add all of the Guinness. Keep stirring gently until all of the Guinness has reduced right down, and the ingredients have soaked in all the wonderful flavours.
3. Remove the bay leaves and start adding the hot vegetable stock gradually using a ladle or large spoon. This is where you need to keep on stirring so that the starch in the rice breaks down, giving you that creamy consistency.
4. Every ladle of stock needs to be reduced right down before adding another.
5. Once all the stock has been used and reduced down, turn off the heat and add the finely grated cheese, stir and cover with a lid.
6. I leave mine covered for a good eight minutes. Remove lid and stir in a cold knob of butter (optional). I like my risotto firm to the bite and not gloopy like some risottos you see.
7. Season to taste if you wish with ground black pepper.
8. Spoon into a warm bowl and sprinkle with more cheese and a sprinkle of fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!

*If you’d like to make this recipe vegan, you could swap the butter and cheese with vegan alternatives, adding nutritional yeast for extra flavour.