Mushroom Risotto; flour

Normally I would make this with wild or field mushrooms, but, since I’m not going to the markets at the moment (pandemic) I used brown cremini mushrooms.

Also, because you can’t tell be looking, I used a yellow tomato because that was the last ripe tomato from my garden. I peeled it first – a small pan of boiling water, 30 seconds to blanch and 10 seconds to peel….. Much nicer.

This is meant to be a side dish, not a main course. We had it with our second lamb tenderloin. I’m not posting a recipe for that because there isn’t one. A bit of salt and a few minutes over a charcoal grill is all we did. Some things are best left simple.

Also, unless you are on good terms with a local butcher, and are willing to buy the blade chops left after the butcher cuts out the tenderloin, you will not have access to this particular cut. For that I am very sorry as it’s worth any effort.

One last thing: making risotto is easy. You do not have to stir constantly and you do not have to add anything (like butter) to make it creamy. Take it off heat while there is still visible liquid. By the time you put it on your plate it will be perfect. I posted a photo of the risotto with the lamb to prove my point.

Click here to Pin Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Risotto

Print Recipe

We had this as a side dish but you could have it as a traditional, Italian first course.
For a meatless main course I would double the ingredients.

• Author: Katie
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Risotto

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup Arborio rice (or other rice specifically for risotto – Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
• 1/3 cup dry, white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 onion, chopped 
• 1 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup (2oz, 60gr) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Condimenti
• 4oz (125gr) mushrooms, trimmed, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, peeled, chopped (mine was yellow)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tbs Greek or plain yogurt

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Heat chicken stock and keep hot over low heat.
• In medium sauce pan heat butter, add the 1/2 onion and sauté until transparent.
• Add rice and sauté, stirring, for 1 – 2 minutes until rice has white center.
• Add white wine and stir. 
• Start condimenti. 
• When rice has almost absorbed all the wine add a 1/3 cup of stock, stir. (No need to stir constantly but do stir from time to time.)
• When stock is almost absorbed add another 1/3 cup and continue adding 1/3 cup at a time. 
• Before you add the last 1/3 cup taste a few kernels of rice. They should be just ‘al dente’ – slightly resistant to the tooth but fully cooked. If more stock is needed add it a few tbs at a time and waiting until almost completely absorbed. 
• At this point risotto will be thick but not stiff – there will still be visible liquid and it will not hold its shape on a plate. 
• Add the Parmesan and the condimenti, stir well, spoon into a bowl or risotto platter and serve immediately. It will continue to absorb liquid and the leftovers (if any) will be very stiff. 
• Condimenti:
• Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet. Add the other 1/2 onion and sauté until starting to get tender.
• Add mushrooms and sauté until starting to brown. 
• Add tomato and cook until it softens.
• Add herbs and keep warm until needed

Notes

I used brown cremini mushrooms. Use your favorite.
Peel the tomato by plunging in a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Rinse in cold water, peel and chop.
Yogurt will keep, opened, for several days in the fridge.

Keywords: risotto, mushrooms

The weather has cooled and I’m thinking about winter cooking…. and bread.

Remember last spring, during lock-down, when there was a flour shortage?

All I could get for weeks was pastry flour.

Pastry flour does not make good bread. Great cakes, but not good bread. Trust me on this.

Now look:

Starting top left: country bread mix, multi-grain mix, all-purpose, bread flour, whole wheat, another multi-grain mix and pastry flour left from last spring.

Prior to the lock-down all-purpose flour and whole wheat were easy to get and all the ‘mixes’ were not at all common. Now the mixes are everywhere and I have to go to a special organic shop to get the whole wheat.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with them all…..

Should be fun!