Angola, Ricardo Helton - Tortulho risotto
Passionate about cooking since he was a child, Helton followed his passion by studying Cuisine and Pastry at the Culinary and Arts Ferrandi School in Paris.
Once completed, Helton moved to London for a six-month training programme in Culinary, HCCP and Industrial Quality at the prestigious Eastern College. Thereafter, the freshly graduated chef used his expertise and talent to open his own restaurant in Portugal: “Blitz”, a Dinner & Dance spot that served signature tapas and snacks.
Executive Chef Ricardo Helton is currently one of the most renowned and prominent chefs in Angola, heading Sol Mayor, the largest business group in Angola’s restaurant sector that owns and manages seven locations ranging from restaurants, hotels and catering companies. Helton has also established a huge community with fans around the world through his popular Instagram Live series called Kitchen Quarantine, a weekly show featuring exquisite and original recipes, culinary creations, Q&A and fun interviews with various celebrity guests.
ANGOLA GASTRONOMY MUSTS
Dry tortulho
Cassava flour
Palm oil
Dried fish
Potato branch
Tortulho risotto
Angolan ancestors used to preserve the mushrooms they grew by drying them before they were distributed across the country. According to Ricardo, it turned out to be one of the greatest discoveries of Angolan gastronomy.
INGREDIENTS
- 100 g shallot
- 4 celery stalks
- 350 g portobello mushrooms
- 350 g tortulho mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 200 g risotto rice (arboreal)
- 15 cl white wine
- 50 cl water
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 200 g Parmesan cheese
- 100 g arugula
- Mill pepper
- 100 g of watercress
STEP BY STEP
- Chop the shallots and cut the celery into thin sheets. Clean the mushrooms and cut them coarsely.
- In a pan with olive oil, lightly brown the shallot and celery for 10 minutes. Add the rice.
- Fry stirring occasionally until it is translucent. Drizzle with white wine, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is absorbed.
- Wash the tortulho several times and bake for 30 minutes, strain the water and bring to the heat, seasoning to taste with lemon, salt, black pepper and a spoon of butter.
- Gradually add the broth to the rice, stirring regularly until cooked al dente (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat, add the Parmesan cheese cut into small pieces and the leaves of arugula and watercress.
- Season with freshly ground pepper and serve without delay marinating with a little reduction of balsamic vinegar.