Wild Mushroom Risotto

Today is the first Federal holiday of 2010, set aside to remember Martin Luther King, Jr.

Perhaps this recipe might show up on the table for the first Federal Holiday Playdate of 2010? Who knows. This recipe looks easy enough. From We Love DC.

Wild Mushroom Risotto
Serves 3
Time, including prep: about 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. package of mushrooms (Shiitake, Cremini or Portobello for the low budget version. Chanterelles, Black Trumpets, Porcini, and Blue Foot Chanterelles for the whole-paycheck variety), roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, whole
• 1/2 c. onion, finely diced
• 8 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 c. arborio rice
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1/2 bottle of white wine, preferably pinot
• 5 c. chicken stock, warmed (or use water)
• 1 c. fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 stick of butter, cut into tablespoon portions
  

Procedure

• Don’t forget, stir frequently to cook evenly . . . And do all of the prep work in advance. It’s worth it to be able to focus on continually stirring.
• In a shallow pan, heat 4 tbsp. of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms when hot. (If adding more than one kind of mushroom, add the densest mushrooms first.) Saute them until lightly browned.
• Add the additional 4 tbsp. olive oil to the pan with the onions.
• Once the onions are translucent, add the arborio rice to the pan to toast. At the same time, throw in the thyme, salt, and 2 cloves of garlic.
• Once the rice begins to become slightly golden, add white wine (or water) to cover. Cook the rice down so that the alcohol flavor is gone.
  
• When the pan starts to look dry and you “hear it asking for more liquid,” add 1/2 c chicken stock or water. Continue stirring, listening to your pan, and adding more liquid.
• When the rice is not chewy or mushy, but still a little crunchy, remove it from the heat. Make sure you still have a little liquid left and you aren’t in the “dry” stage of the process.
• Remove the thyme sprigs. It’s okay if you can’t find them all.
  
• Off the heat, add the parsley, cheese, and butter. Stir rapidly, and like crazy, to emulsify the butter into the rice. You will see your rice start to come together at this point and to look like cheesy, yummy risotto.
• Throw in the extra clove of garlic, too.
• You did it!