Yes I was. The thought of standing and stirring for half an hour sure can deter any lazy person like me from making this scrumptious dish, but oh was it worth every stir. My favorite risotto dishes are the butternut squash risotto and mushroom risotto. I was in the mood for some mushrooms, so off I went Googling for a recipe.
Apparently choosing the right rice for the risotto is science, so don’t settle for regular white rice or long-grained rice. I got the Arborio rice, but you may also use 2 other varieties: Carnaroli and Vialone Nano. Something to do with their absorbency of flavor and stickiness-more on that on wikipedia if you’re interested.
Arborio Rice
I got my gourmet mushroom risotto recipe from AllRecipes.com, but made minor changes to my liking. I also believe I somewhat reduced the caloric intake so cheers to a healthy-ish and delicious risotto! I’m adding this to my favorite recipe list!
MY INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 table spoon olive oil
- 8oz (1/2lb) white mushroom, thinly sliced
- 8oz (1/2lb) Portebello mushroom, thinly sliced
- 1.5 cups of Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white cooking wine
- 2 small shallots
- 3 teaspoons chives
- 4 tablespoons I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (less fatty!)
- 1/3 cup Kraft Parmesan cheese
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 saucepans
DIRECTIONS: (with my tips :] )
1. Finely chop up the shallots and chives. Slice the mushrooms if you didn’t buy them pre-sliced.
2. Warm the chicken broth on low heat in saucepan.
3. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside. - Make sure you save the mushroom juice!
4. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to saucepan, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in cooking wine, stir until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes. - taste after 15minute to check if rice is cooked thoroughly
5. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms and mushroom juice (adds yummy flavor and darker color), I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, chives, and Parmesan. - Save some chives and Parmesan as garnishment.
6. Season with salt and pepper. - Add 1-2 pinches at most.
Total preparation & cooking time: 50minutes. Voila! The above portion is enough for 4 people, and since it’s a lot of work, make extra for the next day.
Portebello and White Mushroom Risotto
