Mushroom Risotto

In January, Gourmet Gals got together virtually to cook a meal together. We gathered our ingredients and kitchen equipment. Next to our stoves we set up our laptops or tablets and logged into Zoom. We poured ourselves a glass of wine, because why not we were cooking with it, and got to work. The cooking instruction was led by our host, Pam Overly and we were able to enjoy the process and ask questions and share kitchen tips. We collaborated on other add-ins that would taste great in risotto and talked about the intimidation of a risotto dish. Turns out its pretty hard to mess up as long as you have the time and patience to make it.

Mushroom Risotto

A recipe from Chef Mark Dommen, One Market Restaurant, San Francisco, CA

Print Recipe

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 appetizer portions

Equipment

• small saucepan
• Dutch oven or large sauce pan
• wooden spoon or heat safe rubber spatula
• ladle

Ingredients

  

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 4 cups stock, chicken or vegetable
• 4 tbsp butter
• ½ cup dried mushrooms, any variety you like
• ½ cup dried sundried tomato,
• ½ cup white wine
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

 

• Reconstitute the mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. Fill 2 small bowls with water and place mushrooms in one and sundried tomatoes in the other. Let them soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from water. Reserve the mushroom water if desired (it is a flavorful broth that can be used in the risotto in place of a ladle of broth). Roughly chop mushrooms and sundried tomatoes and set aside.
• Warm your broth. Warm the broth in a medium saucepan over low heat, which helps the risotto come together faster. If you need to skip heating the broth, make sure it’s at least at room temperature and not cold from the fridge
• Toast the rice. Heat the oil in a 10- or 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the rice and stir until every grain is coated with the oil. Add more fat if needed — this is not the time to skimp! Continue stirring the rice until the edges have turned translucent but the center is still opaque, about 2 minutes. You should also be able to smell the aroma of toasted rice. Avoid actually browning the rice here; toasting the rice is all about the aroma.
• Sweat the shallot. Make a well in the middle of the pan. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and cook until fragrant and beginning to soften
• Deglaze the pan with wine. Deglazing the pan at this point isn't strictly necessary, but a splash of white wine will add another layer of flavor and help lift up any bits that have caramelized to the pan. Add the wine, and simmer, stirring constantly, until the wine has completely reduced and the pan is nearly dry, about 3 minutes.
• Slowly add the broth in increments, stirring in between. Begin incrementally adding the broth one 1/2 cup at a time, stirring regularly between additions. Wait until the liquid has been almost completely absorbed by the rice before adding the next ladle ;dragging your spatula through the rice should leave a dry path where the spatula was. This gradual addition of liquid is key to getting the rice to release its starch and create its own delicious sauce, so don't rush this step. Ideally, you want to use just enough broth to cook the rice and no more. Continue adding broth until the rice is al dente and the broth is creamy. Begin tasting the rice after about 12 minutes to gauge how far it has cooked. The risotto is ready when the rice is al dente (when it still has a bit of chew)and the dish has the consistency of thick porridge, 20 to 30 minutes total (you might not use up all of the broth). If you run your spatula through the risotto, the risotto will flow slowly to fill in the space.
• Finishing and serving the risotto. Stir in the mushrooms and sundried tomatoes.Add butter and parmesan cheese to enrich the risotto and make it extra-creamy. Salt andpepper to taste. Serve the risotto immediately. The longer it stands, the more thestarches will set and you'll lose the creamy silkiness. If it gets too t

Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Keyword mushroom, risotto

Author: Pam Overly

Digital and Media Manager for New Westsiders (NWS). I moved to Avon Lake from Overland Park, Kansas, in 2013 and joined NWS later that year. I’ve served on the board as Historian and President and have also chaired several interest groups.