Vegan Pesto Risotto with Crispy Breaded Mushrooms

This dish is so comforting and cosy- buttery breaded mushrooms fried in miso-butter, atop a bed of creamy and herby pesto risotto.  Super simple to make and easy to customise- if you don't feel like making your own pesto, you can easily substitute with store-bought vegan pesto! 

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the risotto:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• 300g risotto rice
• 80ml dry white wine
• 1 litre of vegetable stock

For the pesto - you can use several tbsp of store-bought vegan pesto if you prefer: 

• 30g fresh basil
• 25g toasted pine nuts (plus more for topping- optional)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper

For the breadcrumbs:

• drizzle olive oil
• 100g panko breadcrumbs
• generous pinch salt and pepper
• 0.5 tsp Italian herb seasoning
• 0.5 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 0.5 tsp garlic granules

For the mushrooms:

• drizzle olive oil
• 400g mixed mushrooms of choice- Oyster and/or shiitake mushrooms work best
• pinch salt
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 2 tsp white miso paste

Optional toppings: toasted pine nuts, vegan parmesan, fresh basil, and roasted cherry tomatoes. 

Method:

1. Add the vegetable stock to a pot and bring to a simmer.  
2. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Heat the tbsp of oil in a pan and add the onion. Saute for 8 minutes or so over medium heat until softened but not browned.
3. Add the minced garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, until fragrant. 
4. Add the risotto rice into the pan, and toast it for a couple minutes. Then pour in the white wine and cook until the liquid has cooked out. 
5. Once the wine has cooked off, add the vegetable stock a ladleful at a time, stirring the rice well, and letting the liquid simmer. Once most of the liquid has cooked off, add another ladle of stock. Repeat until the rice is fully cooked (usually around 25 minutes)

Meanwhile, make the pesto:

1. While cooking the risotto, make the pesto by blending all of the ingredients together until smooth. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

Make the breadcrumbs and the mushrooms:  

1. Add a little oil to a frying pan over medium-high heat, and add the breadcrumbs with the rest of the breadcrumb ingredients. Fry for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs turn golden. Taste for seasoning and remove from the frying pan, and set aside.
2. Prepare the mushrooms: don't cut them, but shred them into small pieces using your hands instead. 
3. In the same empty frying pan, heat a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shredded mushrooms and fry for 10-15 minutes, until they are fully cooked, golden and slightly crispy.
4. Whilst the mushrooms are cooking, prepare the miso butter: melt the butter and miso paste together in the microwave.
5. Season the cooked mushrooms with some salt and pepper, and pour the miso butter into the pan. Cook for a few minutes more until they absorb most of the butter, then add the breadcrumbs back into the pan and toss to coat the mushrooms. 

To Serve:

1. Pour the pesto into the risotto and stir it through to warm the pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning- I sometimes add a little more lemon juice or nutritional yeast at this point.
2. Serve the risotto into warm bowls and top with the mushrooms, as well as any other toppings you like. 

Enjoy! :)