Risotto with grouse, mixed mushrooms, red wine sauce and mint
Ingredients
(Serves four)
2 grouse
Vegetable oil (to cover grouse legs)
3 garlic cloves
Thyme (small handful)
Salt
For the mixed mushrooms 200g mixed mushrooms (girolle, chanterelle, trompette de la mort)
40-50ml olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
Pinch chopped parsley
Salt
For the red wine sauce
1 litre red wine (Barolo)
500ml port
4 sliced shallots
Salt
40g butter to finish the sauce
For the risotto 1tbs finely diced onion
280g carnaroli rice
200ml red wine
1.5 litres light chicken stock
100g butter
50g acid butter (reduction of 1 onion, 1 glass white wine, 1 glass white wine vinegar: montée with 250g of butter)
50g Parmesan
5 leaves mint, julienned
Method
Remove the legs and breast from the grouse and place the legs in a saucepan. Cover with vegetable oil. Add salt, thyme and three garlic cloves, and simmer for about one hour. When the legs are tender remove the meat from the bone and put to one side.
Clean the mushrooms, slice and sauté them in olive oil with the chopped garlic and parsley. Season.
Place the red wine, port and shallots in saucepan and reduce to a concentrated glaze. Season.
Pan-fry the grouse breast in oil, season and set aside to rest.
Sweat the onions in a little oil, then add the rice. Once heated through, add the red wine and allow to evaporate. At this point we set a timer for 13 minutes, and keep adding the chicken stock. At the four-minute mark, we add the mixed mushrooms and the grouse leg meat. Once the risotto is cooked, remove it from the heat. Add the butter, acid butter, Parmesan and the mint. In the meantime, reheat and then slice the grouse breast ready to serve.
To serve, montée the red wine sauce with a bit of butter. Check the risotto seasoning and then pour on to a flat plate. Place the sliced grouse breast on top and finish off with a drizzle of the red wine sauce.
Marco Torri, head chef, Ristorante Semplice, Mayfair, London
