Risotto…my comfort food

Risotto was one of those dishes that I was intimidated from as a young cook. It was never served in my house and I wasn't really introduced to it until I went to Italy my first time about 15 years ago. I have been fortunate enough to try it all over the world and I don't know what it is but in Italy it ALWAYS tastes better. Kind of like croissants in France…. I really believe that it's the Parmesan Reggiano. I don't care what anyone says but by the time its been cut, transported, and into my fridge its old and dry. If you have the opportunity to get to Italy go to any grocery store and buy a chunk of it vacuum sealed and take it home. I have no idea if this is OK with customs but until I am searched I will keep doing it.

There are so many different variations to risotto but I tend to stick to veggies and shrimp. My favorite is mushroom. Something about the earthiness of the mushrooms and the creamyness of the rice YUM! I have cooked risotto with squash too and it came out fantastic.

Risotto is so incredibly easy! And its not as time consuming as people think it is. I DO NOT stand over the stove and stir for 25 minutes. I stir, walk away, stir, do something else. While yes you need to be in your kitchen you do not need to be at the stove. It can be served as a main dish with a light salad or in smaller portions as a side dish or first course. This dish cant really be done ahead of time but you can do most of it an hour before your guests come.

Mushroom Risotto

1 lb mushrooms sliced (I prefer Portobello)
EVOO
4 cups warm chicken broth (or veggie broth if preferred)
4 T butter
1 small onion minced
Salt/pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine (or apple juice)
½ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano


In a large saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until soft but no color. Add rice and constantly stir for 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until absorbed stirring occasionally. Add 2 cups of hot broth and simmer over medium low heat until absorbed stirring occasionally. This will take about 10 minutes.Continue adding broth ½ cup (or ladel) at a time and stirring occasionally. In the meantime heat EVOO in pan and add mushrooms. Cook until desired softness and season to taste. When all broth is absorbed and rice is creamy add mushrooms and cheese. Serve hot with extra cheese. You can make this 1 hour ahead of time but leave some extra broth. Before you are ready to serve heat the rice and add the last of the broth stirring constantly, then add mushrooms and cheese.

TIP: since we never drink white wine in my house I never have a bottle opened to justify ½ a cup so I started purchasing those small 4pack bottles of white wine. They are perfect in recipes like this where the wine isn't the star of the dish but there is only a sublte hint of it.

Gadget: Strawberry corer
A couple months ago we threw a large party and had a good size chocolate fountain going. One of the dippers was strawberries. I had a huge tray of them that needed to be hulled. Well, I had to ask my husband to hull them while I was doing other stuff. In my stocking this year for Christmas was this cool strawberry corer. I just tried it out on some fantastic strawberries from the market (I love CA produce) and it was fantastic! I was always one to just lop off the top and lose 1/3 of the strawberry, NOT anymore!
http://joieshop.com/e/item.asp?ItemCode=10187&CatCode=14483&s=0223CCD