Rice with seasonal mushrooms

Autumn is the ideal time to try seasonal products like nuts or mushrooms. Across the Pyrenees, mushroom hunters eagerly await this time of year to trek through the forests and pick them.

The mushrooms we find on mountain trails and paths play a fundamental role in the preservation of forests and the surrounding natural ecosystem. Mushrooms have the ability to decompose dead plant and animal matter, converting it into nutrients:  This allows the plants around them to resist inclement weather, lack of nutrients in the soil or attacks by harmful bacteria and insects. For this reason, mushroom pickers always take special care when harvesting to cut them with caution, so that they grow back in the same place.

Fairy ring, morels, porcini and all kinds of other mushrooms are found in the lush forests of Andorra and delight the most demanding palates. You can taste them in our traditional bordas or cook them at home, with this simple local recipe: rice with mushrooms.

Method for 6 people:

In a saucepan, sauté the finely chopped onion, garlic and parsley with the butter and a tablespoon of oil. Add the bay leaves and simmer until the onion is heated through and transparent, at which point you will need to add the mushrooms. Cook for 5 more minutes and add the glass of white wine.

Once well cooked, pour in the rice, mixing well, then add the water or hot broth until it is covered. Season with salt and pepper to taste and let it cook over high heat for 20 minutes.

All that's left is to serve and enjoy with a nice cut of meat and a good wine.

Bon appétit!

Ingredients for preparing the rice with mushrooms:

- 6 cups of rice
- 1 litre of water or meat broth
- 1 kg of mixed mushrooms (fairy ring, morels, bloody milk cap, porcini mushrooms...)
- 50 g of butter
- 2 onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 glass of white wine
- 1 sprig of parsley
- Olive oil
- Black pepper and salt