Mushroom Risotto

I love white rice, and I love pasta…but I don’t love risotto. I don’t know why. Still, whenever I eat it, I’m like, damn! I should do this more often. But it doesn’t call out to me when I’m not eating it in the way that other things do. When I do, however, this is usually what I make. Sometimes I add chicken.

Despite my usual ambivalence, this is actually an ingenious way to enjoy rice. Most rice is cooked by steam, but by constant stirring, you break up the starch packet that is contained in each grain and it leaks into the stock that you are using to cook the rice…ingenious. I have heard this described as rice that comes with it’s own sauce. Even if you were to make it with water, it would have a relatively rich and creamy sauciness to it. But of course the Italians are compelled to add cream, parmiggiano, and butter, so there’s no worry that it will be creamy. You can make a risotto with sushi rice – short grain is all that really matters, as it contains the proper amount of starch – but for the proper al dente bite, you should of course use Arborio rice.

Other keys to risotto: use hot stock, don’t add too much liquid at once, stir more or less constantly, don’t overcook it and make congee. The Italian Grandma rule that I once heard with regards to how much rice to use is: two handfuls per person and one for the pot.

Finally, there is absolutely no limit to what kind or how many different kinds of mushrooms you may use for this preparation. A mélange, as always, is a good thing. If you have rare or delicious or delicate mushrooms, it is not a bad idea to reserve a handful and sauté them in butter at the last moment before serving – make sure to use plenty of butter and place them cut side down if possible, and then not to disturb them so they develop a deep chestnut colored sear on them – and then to place them on top of the finished servings so that they really really shine. But the recipe below is the basic template using the stalwart favorite cremini mushrooms and nothing else.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and quartered
• 5 large handfuls Arborio rice
• ¼ cup white wine or vermouth
• 4 cups best quality chicken stock, hot
• 1 tsp each dried thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 4 oz butter
• 4 oz crème fraiche
• 2 oz parmiggiano reggiano, grated fine

Optional:

• 1 chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Directions:

Place the olive oil in a medium sized pot and turn the heat to high. Add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and a bit of salt and pepper. The liquid that the mushrooms give off should keep the other stuff from browning or burning, but it should be evaporating fast enough that it’s not sitting in liquid.

When the mushrooms are fully cooked, add the rice. Stir vigorously so it gets evenly toasted. Cook for about a minute or two, making sure that the rice doesn’t stick. Add the wine and deglaze; cook until it is almost entirely evaporated. Add the chicken if using and dried herbs and stir to incorporate.

Add the stock one ladleful at a time. Don’t submerge the rice entirely – the whole thing should be wet, but not absolutely swimming in it. Reduce the heat so that is at a medium-brisk simmer, then stir constantly and slowly, making figure eights through the pot and scraping at corners that the spoon seems to miss on its regular passes, adding more stock when it seems a bit dry, until the rice is almost done, about 20-30 minutes.

When the rice is still slightly chalky in the middle but mostly cooked, don’t add more stock when it starts to get dry. Instead, add the cream, butter, and cheese, and stir well to incorporate. The rice will change in character at this point – it will lighten, become creamier (of course) and seem to glom together in one unified ideal.

Serve and enjoy immediately, with additional mushrooms if you like, and plenty of additional parmiggiano reggiano grated on top.