Lately I have had unquenchable hunger for mushrooms. Crimini, Portobello, shitake, canned, I’ll take anything, except the magic ones. I cook with them as much as I can and I still can’t get enough.
One night I was having my friend Courtney over for dinner and I decided to make Mushroom Risotto. It was quite good, we both really enjoyed it. It wasn’t the best I ever had. The best (to date) was from the Metropolitan Grill. They no longer do a mushroom risotto, but their roma tomoato leek barley risotto is still quite good.
The Met also inspired me to make a mushroom cheese fondue. That will follow in a later post, unfortunately I don’t have pictures though.
After reading over countless recipes, some were as simple as adding a can of mushroom soup to some rice. (Add some pork chops and I believe you have a meal that I grew up with.) I was looking for something a little fancier. I found Tyler Florence. I really enjoy this guy. His show is great and the majority of things that I have made from his cook book (The Ultimate) have been really good.
Here is what he helped me make, and it was not a disappointment.This recipe makes a lot of food. I gave a good amount away and I was still unable to finish it all.
Two things you need to remember about Risotto:1. You need to be patient and have time to stir constantly.2. Be sure to cook the rice before you add liquid. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking.
Ingredients
8 cups chicken broth, low sodium
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 pound fresh Portobello and crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish
Directions
Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil then add the dried porcini mushrooms which were reconstituted in1 cup of warm chicken broth. Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Sauté 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.
Coat a saucepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.
Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.
I used Black Truffle Butter because I didn’t have any truffle oil. It worked just as well. If you have neither – skipping the truffles won’t hurt it.
