Quattro-Mushrooms Risotto

I don’t know about you, but we’re freezing here in Philly! I mean, quite literally, as ice puddles took over the streets. With the temperature dropping to new lows, nothing screams warmth and comfort like a big bowl of delicious mushroom risotto! I’m serious. I just got home from a long day of classes and as my fingers partly defrost (while typing these very words), the only thing that keeps me going is the delicious risotto-perfume emanating from my kitchen. And not just any kind of risotto, but a mushroom risotto to the power of 4! I’m talking serious mushroom business right here. Now to those who think that I might’ve gone a little over board with this… Sorry not sorry! This four-way combination really brings the dish to the next level!

As I previously mentioned when I posted my Asparagus risotto recipe, most people tend to see this rice dish as heavy. Now let me elaborate a little bit. The obvious thing to do, is to blame it on the extra butter and cheese. And that’s a more than valid reason. That being said, risotto can be heavy even without the added fat. The starch released by the rice is responsible for most of the dish’s “creaminess”, which might first look like “added fat”. It follows that a large rice portion will release more of that starch and make it appear even heavier. My easy solution for risotto skeptics (hi mom!) is to focus on the ratio of rice to add-ins. To be honest, I basically use risotto as an excuse to throw in a LOT of added vegetables over a “small” portion of creamy grains. So keeping ratios in mind ensures an overall dish that is anything but too rich. On that note, I’ll leave you with my recipe and go enjoy my own bowl of deliciousness. Bon appétit!

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried Arborio rice
2 cups vegetable broth
some olive oil
a handful of shiitake mushrooms
a handful of baby bella mushrooms
a few dried oyster mushrooms
1/4 garlic clove
a drizzle of truffle oil
some grated parmesan cheese (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Start by chopping up the fresh mushrooms and garlic. Heat some olive oil in a pot, and sauté them until golden brown.
Add the dried rice and let it sizzle until it gets translucent, while stirring constantly.
Next, pour a first ladle of the vegetable broth, and add the dried oyster mushrooms (they’ll cook with the rice). Wait for the rice to absorb all the liquid before adding more, stirring constantly throughout.
When the rice is cooked through, add some freshly grated parmesan cheese (for extra creaminess) and stir one last time.
To serve, drizzle with some truffle oil and season with some freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!

Temps total: 30 minutes

Ingrédients:

1/4 tasse de riz Arborio
2 tasses de bouillon de légumes (ou de poulet)
huile d’olive
une poignée de champignons shiitake
une poignée de champignons de Paris
quelques pleurotes séchés
1/4 gousse d’ail
un filet d’huile parfumée à la truffe
du parmesan fraichement rapé (optionnel)
sel de mer et poivre noir fraichement moulu

Etapes:

Commencez par trancher les champignons et émincer l’ail. Faites chauffer de l’huile dans une casserole et faites revenir le tout jusqu’à ce que les champignons soient bien dorés.
Ajoutez le riz sec et laissez le devenir transparent, sans cessez de remuer.
Puis, versez une première louche de bouillon de légumes et ajoutez les pleurotes séchés (ils cuiront avec le riz). Attendez que tout le liquide soit absorbé avant d’en rajouter, en mélangeant constamment entre chaque ajout.
Une fois le riz cuit, ajoutez un peu de parmesan râpé et mélangez une dernière fois.
Pour servir, assaisonnez d’un filet d’huile parfumée à la truffe, et de poivre noir fraîchement moulu. Bon appétit!