I can't take all the credit. Everything I know about risotto I learned from the cooking master herself, Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Look at that, she practically has "risotto" in her name. She is the very entertaining and passionate radio show host of NPR's The Splendid Table. She lays out, step by step, how to make the perfect risotto in her book "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper".
In a risotto mood, I armed myself with her book and basic recipe and took a look at what I had in stock. Except for the arborio rice and a few of the basic ingredients, I was out of anything suggested in her cookbook. I hopped on epicurious.com to see what I could find. Several mushroom risotto recipes came up. I had portobello mushrooms in the fridge. Unfortunately, all the recipes I found online were for wild mushrooms, and I then realized that I was missing the most basic ingredient that gives risotto its zing. White Wine.
I had red wine, but not white, and every risotto recipe I came across called for the lighter grape juice.
Well, phooey on that. Why couldn't I make risotto with red wine? Was there some secret contract I didn't know about between arborio rice and white wine? And besides, meaty portobello mushrooms and bold red wine compliment each other like red and green at Christmas. Who cares if I didn't have wild mushrooms? Portobello mushrooms can handle themselves in a recipe! Why stick to the conventional methods when there's a whole world of tastes and flavors yet to be discovered? I WILL NOT BE CONVENTIONAL! I WILL STEP OUT BOLDLY INTO THE KITCHEN WIELDING MY SPOON AND MY CREATIVITY!
Bold as I might be, however, I decided to make half of the recipe, just in case it didn't turn out. Baby steps. Prudence.
Too bad for that. This risotto rocked my world. Here's the recipe:
INGREDIENTS
1 onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 cup of arborio rice (risotto rice)
1/2 cup red wine (cheap and fruity works best with this recipe)
3 tbsp + 2 tbsp butter
3 1/2 to 4 cups of chicken broth
10 oz of baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4-1/2 cup mozz cheese, shredded
DIRECTIONS (adapted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper)
1. In a heavy 4-qt saucepan, heat 3 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and mushrooms, and saute until the onions and mushrooms are soft, about 5-7 minutes. NOTE: the mushrooms absorb the butter rapidly. If bottom starts to brown and the mushrooms seem dry 4 minutes in, add the other 2 tbsp of butter. This will enough butter to finish the saute. The onions should look soft and the mushrooms should look melty, but still be slightly firm.
2. When the mushrooms and onions are ready, add the garlic and the rice. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add salt and pepper to taste. Don't worry if a little bit of browning occurs on the bottom of the pan. This is where the magic happens.
3. Raise the heat to medium high. Stir in the wine and cook until it is absorbed. The acidity of the wine will add that browning to the mix and add a richness. Begin adding the broth 1 cup at a time until the liquid is absorbed by the rice. The liquid must be absorbed before adding the next cup. Never cover the pot. Once you start adding the broth, the cooking time will be about 15 minutes. After cooking in about 2 1/2 cups, start adding the broth in 1/2 cup portions. Begin tasting the risotto. When it's ready, the risotto should be close to tender, with a little more firmness to the bite than you'd like, and it should be nearly soupy (it will finish cooking and absorb a little more broth in the next step). NEVER cook the rice to a mush.
4. Immediately remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for three minutes. Fold in the two cheeses, taste for seasonings, and serve.
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