buckwheat mushroom risotto

Soak the wild mushrooms in the measured boiling water for 10–15 minutes.

In the meantime, heat up the oil in a medium-sized saucepan and fry the onion over a medium heat for a few minutes until translucent but not yet caramelized. Add the chestnut mushrooms and salt and cook over a medium heat for 5–8 minutes until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has evaporated.

Drain the wild mushrooms, reserving the liquid, chop them roughly and add to the pan, along with the garlic and herbs. Cook for 5 minutes before adding the white wine and soy sauce. Increase the heat for 5–8 minutes to let the alcohol evaporate and then add the buckwheat. Reduce the heat to medium and stir well until the buckwheat soaks up all the liquid.

Mix the mushroom soaking liquid with the vegetable stock, then start adding it to the pan, 100ml at a time, stirring constantly. Let each batch of liquid become absorbed before adding the next lot. Continue until all the stock is used up. The buckwheat should be almost cooked by this stage.

Turn off the heat and add the knob of butter and black pepper, then cover firmly with a lid and let the risotto rest for 10 minutes.

For the pesto sauce

100g pine nuts
large bunch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
palmful of tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
200ml olive oil
finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
2 generous pinches of sea salt flakes, or to taste

Whizz all the ingredients together in a food processor or using a hand blender. Adjust the seasoning and acidity to taste.

Serve the risotto with a generous sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, a dollop of the pesto and a few parsley and dill leaves.