I have a confession to make: I’m homeless.
Well, no, not really, I’m not homeless, but I am “in-between” homes. I am currently staying with some friends in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, but also cooking at my boyfriend’s house, which means a lot of my personal cooking tools and supplies are in storage. I don’t always have the ingredients I need in the pantry I happen to be nearest to, and my pictures are taken in different locations. Additionally, the light in one of the kitchens in which I cook is absolutely terrible, so you’ll have to bear with me until I get my own kitchen, which, believe me, will leave all of us with a far better experience. I expect that to happen sometime soon. Until then, you’ll have to bear with some awesome pictures, and some not-so-awesome ones!
Risotto is all about timing. I prepared the stock, mushrooms, did all my chopping before I even turned the stove on, so that it would all go smoothly. This takes about 2 hours, so start according to what time you want to serve it (it should be served almost immediately upon finishing! Don’t stress if it’s not exactly right away though.)
Ready to go!
Mushrooms
Extra mushroom “paste”
Mushroom “paste”
Sautéing mushrooms
Toasting the rice.
Adding the wine
Adding the stock
Final additions (liquid, mushroom, paste).
Carmelized onions
Photo courtesy of Greg Sidelnik
This feeds about 8 people.
Ingredients:
About 20 ounces assorted mushrooms (I used cremini, bella, oyster, and shitake) washed and sliced/quartered.
4 cloves of garlic, mashed.
1/2 cup fresh aged parmesan, grated.
1/2 cup fresh parsley, washed finely chopped
1 bottle white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
1 tsp truffle salt
1 Tbl truffle oil
4 cups Arborio rice
2 small onions, diced
6-7 cups (two cartons, roughly) chicken stock
Several tablespoons of olive oil (keep the bottle handy)
1 large onion, sliced longwise (for carmelized onion topper)
Kosher or sea salt to taste
Tools:
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Cheese grater
Measuring tools
1 small saucepan
2 large saucepans (for risotto and to sauté mushrooms.)
Food processor
Mixing spoons, including a slotted one.
First, bring the chicken stock to a low simmer. Leave it for future use, simmering.
Prepare your mushrooms, garlic, cheese and parsley (slice, mash, grate, and chop, respectively!)
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add garlic, sauteéing for several minutes until you can smell the garlic. Remove the garlic, discard. Add almost all the mushrooms – reserve about a half cup of mushrooms on the side. Sauté the mushrooms over low heat, covered, until they are soft and palatable.
In the meantime, add the remaining mushrooms, truffle oil and truffle salt to a food processor, and process until you have a “mushroom paste.” Set aside.
Prepare the caramelized onions. Over low heat, heat some olive oil, and add the onions you’ve sliced lengthwise. Let them cook over the low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are a deep golden brown color (it took me about an hour! So start them at this point!)
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in another large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and salt generously. Add the Arborio rice and toast for a few minutes (mixing well to coat with oil.) When the rice is well coated, add enough white wine to cover the rice. Stir frequently until it is absorbed. Now, add the heated chicken stock, again, to cover the rice. Stir until it is absorbed yet again. Repeat a third time, and this time, stir in the cooked mushrooms and the mushroom paste. Check for seasoning, you might need more salt.
Stir until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked “al dente” and creamy. Serve right away, sprinkling fresh parmesan and parsley on the top for flavor and color.
Serve to your guests, enjoy the oohs and ahhs, and happy eating!
The Third Toast 