Wednesday, February 13, 2008

What I Made Today… Mushroom Risotto

Delicious! A great way to use mushrooms.

½ cup arborio rice
½ cup yellow onion diced
½ cup white wine (and a glass for you while you cook!)
2 cups chicken stock
½ stick butter
¼ cup grated parmesan
1 box mushrooms (any type of mushroom will do)
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauté pan add a little bit of olive oil and sauté the onions. Make sure that they are glossy and soft. It is very important that they are cooked well. If not you will bite into crunchy onion.

Next, heat the chicken stock in another pot. I always forget to do this, but it is really important because it cooks into the rice faster. Add the Arborio rice to the pot with onions. Salt a little bit and toast slightly. Take this off the fire and add the wine. Wait for the wine to evaporate and cook into the rice, then slowly add your chicken stock. Make sure the heat is on medium low and stir with a flat-edged spoon to scrape all of the fond off the bottom. Repeat this cooking process until the rice is soft but not mushy.

A good way to tell if you are finished is by squishing a piece of rice in between your fingers easily. You should see three beads appear on your fingers. At this point you need to sauté your mushrooms in another pan (refer to my webisode from Monday) and add these to the risotto. Also add the cheese and butter. Then call it a day. And drink the rest of the wine that you opened to cook the risotto.

Happy Cooking!
Mary