Wednesday: Mushroom Risotto

If you want to make this vegetarian (since it IS Vegetarian Wednesday and all!), use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Done! I love risotto; the only thing I can pass on is that always make sure you have a little extra warmed stock at hand, cooking can be a little art and a little science and a whole big pain if you have hard rice and no more stock that is heated. Typically an extra 1/2 or 3/4 cup will see you through.

You will need:

1 Tbsp dried Porcini mushrooms (can be found in the produce section unless you live in an awesome small town, then drive to a slightly bigger town and look in their produce section - comes in little baggies)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp sage, or 1 sprig fresh

1 1/4 c arborio rice

1/2 c white wine

225g cremini mushrooms (or portobello, which is like...one? And a half?)

3 c chicken or vegetable stock, hot

4 Tbsp parmesan cheese (NOT powder)

Salt, pepper

First thing you will want to do is reconstitute your dried mushrooms; place them in a glass bowl and pour 1 1/4 c boiling water to cover.  Give them 30 minutes, check to see if they have softened. If not, wait. If so, drain and reserve that liquid. Chop the mushrooms up finely and strain the soaking liquid. You could use a coffee filter to do so, or a cheesecloth lined sieve. Or a coffee filter lined sieve, which is what you might do if you can't find your cheesecloth because you just moved and hid it on yourself. Because you are mean to yourself like that. Tangent!

Squeeze the filter out too

Heat the olive oil in a good solid saucepan. Add the onion and sage and saute for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one more minute. Just one! Add the rice and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring to coat the rice with oil. 

Add the white wine and cook until it has evaporated. Stir in the mushrooms, the soaking liquid and a ladelful of stock. 

Let it simmer, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Keep adding stock by the ladelful (about half a cup) and stirring it in until it is incorporated.

Have I mentioned how much I love spatulas?

After most of the stock has been added, check the texture of the rice. Keep adding stock until it is softened but not mushy. No mush! Remove from heat, add in the parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. LOTS of pepper.

If you even think about using powdered parmesan after you just spent 20 minutes carefully stirring your supper, let me know. I will come rescue your risotto from you. 

Taste and adjust as necessary. Serve with shavings of parmesan and more of that white wine, no sense in having it go bad. If I was going to have this as a main dish, I would have one cup, which is one fourth, which would be 266 calories. Since I am going to have this as a side dish, I am splitting it into 8ths, which is half a cup and 133 calories. Since I am the only adult going to eat this delicious dish, I am also freezing 1/2 of it, so that I can enjoy it again next week without feeling like it must be eaten right NOW. 

Seen in the popular half-plate-vegetable formation

And then near

Aaand really near

Enjoy!