Risotto

Mushroom Risotto

This recipe comes from "the orange Bible"--Deborah Madison's encyclopedic Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It's not just for vegetarians! It has wonderful recipes that can be served with meats or in place of meat dishes, and each section begins with an introduction on basic techniques for the beginner (and often provides tips for the veteran cook as well).

Anyway, this is best made with mushroom stock, but if you haven't any, you could use chicken or vegetable stock.

2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1/2 C. finely diced white onion
12 to 16 oz. white or portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 C. mushroom (or other) stock
2 T. butter
1/3 C. finely chopped onion
1 1/2 C. arborio rice
1/2 C. dry white wine
1/3 to 1/2 C. cream
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley

Heat the butter and oil in the pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, raise the heat to high, and saute until browned around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and squeeze lemon juice over all. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Heat the stock to a simmer. Melt the butter in a wide pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat to soften, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add rice, stir to coat, and cook a bit longer. Add wine and simmer until completely absorbed. Add 1 cup of stock; stir and cook until it's absorbed. Add stock by ladlefuls, stirring constantly until each ladleful is absorbed by the rice before adding the next one. About halfway through, add the mushrooms. After the last addition, add the cream and stir vigorously. Taste for salt, season with pepper, stir in the parmesan and parsley, and serve.

Spinach Feta Risotto

This is the newest addition to my repertoire of risottos. The recipe is in Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, a welcome addition to my cookbook library.

3 C. sliced white mushrooms
1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 C. olive oil
1 T. chopped fresh dill
2 T. plus 1/2 C. dry white wine
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
5 C. vegetable or chicken stock
2 C. arborio rice
10 oz. fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed, and chopped
1 C. crumbled feta cheese

Over medium heat, saute the mushrooms and garlic in 1 T. of oil for about 5 minutes. Add the dill and 2 T. of wine and cook for a minute more. Add salt and pepper to taste; hold on very low heat until the risotto is ready.

Heat the stock to a low simmer. In another pot, saute the onions in the remaining 3 T. of oil for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the grains are coated with oil. Add the 1/2 C. wine and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is absorbed.

Add the simmering stock a cup at a time. Cook, stirring frequently, until each cup is absorbed before adding the next. Continue until all the stock is used and the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. When the rice has absorbed all of the stock, add the spinach, cover, and cook for about 2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Stir in the feta cheese. Serve each portion topped with some of the sauteed mushrooms.