Maybe because I am Italian but there is something so comforting, almost soothing about a big bowl of creamy risotto at the end of a long day. I have decided to use millet in this recipe not just because is an interesting alternative to rice, but also because is packed with so much goodness! Millet is a great source of copper, magnesium, manganese and fibre. It.s completely gluten free and I find slightly easier to digest than brown rice.

Ingredients

for the risotto

1 cup of millet

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 teaspoon of saffron powder

2 tablespoons of coconut milk (optional)

for the garlicky mushrooms

about 300 g of mixed wild or exotic mushrooms ( I bought an already mixed mushrooms pack in my local supermarket)

3 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

A bunch of fresh thyme

a squeeze of lemon

Start by making the risotto.  Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on medium heat.Finely chopped the Onion and the garlic cloves and transfer them to the pan. Fry the onion and garlic gently until the become translucent.Rinse the millet under fresh water and add it to the pan together with vegetable stock, coconut milk and the saffron powder. Cook the millet for about 20 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the millet is thick and creamy. Adjust with salt and pepper.

while the millet is cooking start to prepare the mushrooms. Place the garlic cloves into a garlic crusher and fry them gently in a separate pan together with the chilly flakes. Wash and chop the mushroom, add them to the pan with the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook the mushroom on a medium heat for about 8-10 minutes. Chopped the fresh thyme, add it to the mushroom once they have finished cooking.

to assemble the risotto simply plate the millet and pour the mushroom on top, add a generous squeeze of lemons  and add extra thyme for decoration.