Mushroom Risotto

When my dad starts talking about going to Italy for his business trips, he inevitably begins to talk about Italian food. More specifically, risotto. Risotto is an Italian rice dish; arborio rice is cooked slowly in broth until a creamy consistency is attained. Requires plenty of broth, butter, and Parmesan cheese.

I made mushroom risotto last night, and my entire family (dad, mom, and bro) ALL loved it. That's hard to achieve in our rather picky family!

Mushroom Risotto

4 c. chicken broth
1 c. water
3 c. chopped mushrooms (Use a variety: white button mushrooms, portabellos, shiitake, etc.)
1/2 onion, diced (or substitute with shallots if you have some on hand)
1 3/4 c. Arborio rice
1/2 c. white wine
6 tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, optional

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, heat broth and water until simmering. Keep warm over low heat. 
2. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms, cook until soft and mushrooms have released their juices. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, set aside. 
3. Add 1 tbsp. butter to saucepan, and stir in onions. Cook onions on medium-high heat until soft and translucent, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low heat, pour in wine and continue stirring until wine is fully absorbed by rice. 
4. Add 1/2 cup hot broth to rice, continue stirring until all of the added broth is absorbed. Repeat with another 1/2 cup broth. Continue slowly adding broth to rice until all of the liquid is absorbed and rice is al dente. 
5. Remove rice from heat, stir in mushrooms with their liquid, remaining butter (3 tbsp.), and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm. 

Recommendation: Using a variety of mushrooms lends different textures and aromas to the risotto. I used 4 large white mushrooms, 4-5 baby portabellos, and 4 large shiitake mushrooms. I used dried shiitake mushrooms, so before chopping, I first soaked the dried mushrooms in hot water until soft. 

Reminder: Risotto should not be rushed, so add the broth slowly. This process will create the creamy consistency you want in a risotto dish. 

Don't: Personally, the chicken broth added plenty of salt to the dish, so I did not add additional salt and pepper. 

Do: I did add more cheese, so add more or less depending on your preference. 

Experiment: Try other mix-ins, such as cooked chicken, different vegetables (zucchini, asparagus), shrimp, fresh chopped herbs (chives, tarragon). So even if you detest mushrooms, this dish can easily be altered to suit your taste.

Mushroom (minus shiitake)

Step 2: Cooking mushrooms in butter

Step 4: Slowly add broth to rice