Freshest Mushroom Risotto

This is a healthy dish with several ingredients widely viewed as “better” when used in fresh form rather than dried: Shallots, garlic, thyme, and parsley. But mushrooms aren’t necessarily one of them.

There are, any proponents of fresh mushrooms for their subtler flavor and lack of processing. Either version will provide a lot of meaty flavor without the meat!

1 lb Mushrooms, fresh (or about 4 oz. dried mushrooms)

8 tbs Butter

2 sm Shallots, minced

4 Garlic cloves, minced

2 Thyme sprigs, fresh

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper, freshly ground

3/4 cup Dry white wine

1 tbs Lemon juice

5 cups Vegetable stock (or chicken stock for a non-vegetarian recipe)

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup Heavy cream

1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Fresh parsley minced (optional)

1 Warm broth over low heat in a small saucepan.

2 In a heavy skillet melt half of the butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme sprigs, salt and pepper and stir for an additional minute. Remove mixture from pan and set aside.

3 Add remaining butter to pan over medium heat. Once melted, add rice and stir until rice begins to look translucent, 3-4 minutes.

4 Add ¾ cup dry white wine and lemon juice and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed. Add mushroom stock or 1 cup of vegetable broth and stir until almost all broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1 cup at a time and stir until liquid is almost absorbed, about 25 minutes.

5 Add mushroom mixture into the rice and stir to combine. Gently stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and cook for another 5 minutes on low heat. Transfer risotto to a serving bowl and top with freshly ground pepper, shaved Parmesan and fresh parsley.

Serves 6 | Prep Time 45 mins