Sumptuous Mushroom Risotto is an elegant dish that I love sharing. It makes a great accompaniment, or a meal on its own. Here's how I do it.
The keys to a great risotto are timing and texture. Risotto, or arborio rice, requires time and care to properly prepare. You can't just set it and go, for it needs the slow seduction of incremental additions and constant attention to coax out its best flavors.
I start by preparing my ingredients: arborio rice, dried porcini mushrooms, chopped onion, chopped parsley, wine, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, chicken stock, butter, olive oil, salt and pepper, all at room temperate. Oh, and a glass of wine for the cook. I prefer to use an Albariño wine, perfect for the subtle flavors of this dish.
The dried mushrooms are rinsed and placed in boiling water, then left to steep. Once softened, the mushroom water is saved to put into the dish, and the softened mushrooms chopped into small pieces.
The chopped onion is cooked in butter and oil until translucent, then removed with a slotted spoon. The rice is added to the pan and stirred until it also becomes translucent. This is where the rice releases its starches that facilitate proper preparation.
Now you've committed yourself to standing at the stove until finished, which is why you want all of your ingredients at hand. The rice will stick and burn it you don't keep attending to it.
Once the rice is translucent (underdone is OK, overdone is ruined), add the cooked onion and wine to deglaze the pan. That means that you cook it until the liquid is gone and the bits and bobs that browned on the bottom of the pan have melted in.
The next step is adding a the mushroom liquid, the chopped up parsley, and the chopped up mushrooms. Keep stirring. Constantly!
As the liquid is absorbed, add a ladle (1/2 cup) of warm chicken stock. Cook while stirring and scraping until the liquid is mostly absorbed (again), then add another ladle of chicken stock (again. Keep stirring (again). Remember to sip your wine as you go; you need to stay hydrated and connected to your creation.
You're wine glass should be half empty when you're down to half of the chicken stock. This timing will result in perfect risotto, and the perfect mindset to enjoy it with a friend or lover. If you're by yourself, fear not. Give yourself a hug and carry on.
After the next liquid addition, stir (always stir!) then taste the dish, adding salt to your liking and some pepper, because salt needs pepper like...salt needs pepper.
Continue to additive process until you're down to the last ladle of stock. The rice should be al dente, meaning almost perfect. Once the liquid is almost fully absorbed, add the final ladle worth. If the rice is not cooked enough, you can add room temperature water in small amounts.
The final step is to fold in the parmesan cheese until fully melted, then the heavy cream. You can swap the chicken stock for water or vegetable stock, use olive oil and no butter, and leave out the cheese and cream, but why?! Actually, I've made it for vegan friends, who love it.
To recap:
Room temperature ingredients
Continuous cooking, with sufficient wine to keep the chef happy
Lovely people to eat it with, including yourself!
Bon appetit!
#sumptuouscooking
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(All images were created by the author, then subsequently eaten by friends while drinking, laughing, and loving our time together.)