Gourmet Mushroom Risotto

By Brie

"Authentic Italian-style risotto cooked the slow and painful way, but oh so worth it. Complements grilled meats and chicken dishes very well. Check the rice by biting into it. It should be slightly al dente (or resist slightly to the tooth but not be hard in the center)."

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken broth, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1

In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.

Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute.

Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.

Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Please do cut the mushrooms in half, I think it was a typo when it was first entered, but you can use any amount of mushroom you desire! Feel free to also adjust the wine to your preference. You can also try different variations to make this a main dish, peas & prociutto, shrimp and asparagus, chicken and mushroom, saffron & seafood... whatever you desire for the last mix in (cooked meat of course)! Optionally, you can add some tarragon to this and add more broth if you like it "soupy". It's fantastic! Those saying that it takes longer than 20 minutes to cook, that is because your cooking heat is too low and/or your broth is not hot enough (should not be boiling, but should be hot and kept over low-medium heat). When you add the broth, it should be boiling when it hits the risotto. It should take about 2 minutes for your broth to be fully absorbed after constant stirring. Hope this helps!

In order to get that beautiful, creamy consistency a good risotto is so noted for, I found 15-20 minutes of cooking time was not nearly long enough. The simmering broth must be added little by little, cooked and stirred till it's absorbed, then repeating this step, ladle by ladle of broth, until the risotto is tender but not mushy, the broth is absorbed, and the starches break down resulting in creamy risotto - however long that takes. In my case, it probably took twice as long as the recipe directed, but then I cooked this at moderate heat in order to release the starches slowly. The end result was a creamy risotto with great flavor, the perfect complement to the pork piccata I served it with.