Wild Mushroom Risotto

A couple of years ago, when I first tried a delicious risotto at a restaurant, I thought it was something complicated and time consuming to make. For that reason I never attempted to make a risotto at home. Until my lovely sister (who is a vegetarian), did a bit of her own research and created this recipe. The first time she made it, it turned out oh-so-yummy! And it gave me that extra push to try making it myself.

It was super easy to make and turned out nice & creamy & delicious!

I dedicate this dish for all you Italian Food lovers! And the fact that it is vegetarian makes it that much more appealing to all my vegetarian readers.

Here are all the ingredients you will need to make this scrumptious Wild Mushroom Risotto:

Risotto Rice (sold in pre-packaged boxes, in most supermarkets), Dried Wild Mushrooms (again, sold in most supermarkets), Vegetable Broth (since this is a vegetarian version, but you can sure substitute it for Chicken broth if you’d like), Shallots, Garlic, Fresh Parsley, Parmigiano Reggiano, White Wine, 18% Table Cream, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a bit of butter (not pictured)

Start by pouring out the vegetable broth into a pot…

And bring to a gentle boil.

Now, empty about half of the wild mushrooms into a separate pot…

Cover with boiling water and let them sit for about 10 minutes (no cooking required yet).

Now cut off the ends of the shallots and peel off the skins…

Cut in half…

And then slice length-wise as shown below…

Now give them a fine chop in the opposite direction.

I prefer my herbs fresh, so I will use lots of parsley, but only for garnish. I love the aroma and the punch of flavor that it provides.

Cut off the coarse stems…

And finely chop up the rest…

Set aside is a small bowl, to be used for garnish as a final step =)

Now that the mushrooms have had a chance to soften up in the boiling water, drain or take them out of boiling water using a sifter like I did. Do not throw out the water they’ve been sitting in. You will need it later. I promise to tell you when.

Put a few paper towels on the plate, and place the mushrooms over top to soak up the liquid.

Cover them with another layer of paper towels

And squeeze out all the excess liquid that’s sitting in the mushrooms…

This is what they should look like after a nice squeeze. It doesn’t hurt them, I promise.

They told me so themselves.

Chop up the mushrooms into smaller pieces on a chopping board and set aside.

There are a few ways to take the skin off of the garlic cloves, and you can use whatever way works for you. But I just wanted to show you guys how I do it, and what I find is the fastest/easiest way to get rid off the stubborn skin.

Place the garlic clove on it’s side, and using the flat side of a chef’s knife, press down just enough to break it open.

And look at this…. The skin comes right off! Magic

Now, pour some olive into a skillet…

And throw in the chopped shallots.

After you let them brown a bit, throw in the pressed garlic.

Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Now throw in your butter. Don’t be afraid of butter… In this recipe, it is our friend. It will add a delicious flavor and creaminess to the risotto.

Let the onions and the garlic to brown for a bit.

Mmm… It smells delicious! I love the smell of sautéing onions with garlic…

Now you can throw in the mushrooms and allow them to sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally…

Now you can add the risotto rice.

Here is the trick of risotto making… It will exercise your patience, I promise. Which is a good thing, right? =)

Between the water that the mushrooms sat in, the vegetable broth, the wine and the cream, there is a LOT of liquid that has to go into the dish. And you cannot add it all at once. The trick is to keep adding a bit at a time and stirring the mixture until it absorbs all the liquid, and then adding more until it absorbs the liquid, and then adding more, until all the liquid is done and the rice is nice and tender… You get the point. Be patient. It will be worth it in the end!

So start by adding the mushroom water, a bit at a time, until it’s all done…

Now, start adding the vegetable broth, a bit at a time…Notice how the rice is becoming fatter, from the last picture to this one? It’s because the rice is starting to absorb all the delicious liquids and the flavours…

Keep adding a bit at a time, and stirring until you see it has absorbed it all and then adding more…

After all the vegetable broth is finito add in the white wine, and stir well…

After about a minute, add in the cream and stir well together…

This is what the rice should look like. Give it a taste. Is it soft, tender & creamy? If it is, then you did everything right, and you can pat yourself on the back!

You’re done! Take it off the heat and serve immediately…

I use lots of parmigiano reggiano and fresh parsley to garnish the plate… Yum-yum!!

Wild Mushroom Risotto
Makes: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 min, 30 min cooking

Ingredients:

3 cups pre-packaged Risotto Rice
3 cups dried wild mushrooms
3 whole shallots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water that mushrooms sat in
2 cups fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup White Wine
1 cup 18% Table Cream
As much parmesan cheese as you like
Salt & Pepper to taste

Personally, I don’t like to follow recipes to a T, and only use them as guidelines, so feel free to adjust the amount of ingredients depending on how dry or watery, or creamy you like your risotto. I promise not to call in the Food Police. This is your kitchen, your meal and you have every right to make it just the way you like it. =)

Buon Appetito!