Week 2, Recipe 1: Mushroom Risotto

Before you get all funky about the ingredient list just read my modifications below.

• one large spanish or vidalia onion
• two portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 cup dried shitake mushrooms, soaked for 1/2 hour in mixture of hot water and wine
• chicken or vegetable stock(or Knorr cubes)
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic
• olive oil
• butter
• 2 cups risotto, rinsed
• 1/4 cup mixed fresh basil, tarragon and thyme or 1 tsp. dried basil, 1/2 tsp. tarragon and 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• white cooking wine
• salt and pepper to taste

Chop onions. Sautee in a heavy, preferably non-stick pan with olive oil (a couple of tablespoons will do). Sautee about ten minutes and then add a pat of butter and sautee for another five minutes, until transluscent. Chop off the heads of the portobellos and dice. Slice and dice the stems. Add to pan and continue to sautee. Chop shitake mushrooms and add to pan. Then add risotto and a little more olive oil, and sautee for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Have your stock ready and ladle a bit into the pan; whenever the pan gets dry, just add another 1/4 cup. You must stir often or the risotto will stick. Never let the pan get dry. Continue this process, adding increments of stock, and about 1/2 cup wine as well, for about 25 minutes. Then add fresh herbs and cook

for another couple minutes. At the very end add the parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper to taste, and voila!
Recipe courtesy of Epicurean.com

Result:  I'd never cooked with risotto or portobellos before.  I picked this recipe because I had portobello mushrooms (on sale for cheaper than button mushrooms), fresh basil, & a box (GASP! DID SHE SAY BOX!!) of red pepper risotto I'd been wanting to try.  I skipped the wine and shitakes. I had no garlic or onion (I should shoot myself now, I KNOW!!) but noticed both were dehydrated in the spice pack for the risotto.  Semi-score.  I followed the recipe on the box except I used chicken stock instead of water.

I was a bit too heavy on the tarragon, which can have an overpowering flavor, the basil I added at the last minute as you should do with all fresh herbs and it was amazing.  The salt level was a tad higher than I normally like as well.  I've been wanting to try more meatless meals since I grew up with never a meatless meal, a super Southern way to go!  Though it was pretty good, I think I'll use real risotto in the future if I ever cook it again (not really a fan of high-maintenance food since Rashan usually loves whatever I cook) and this will likely be a side dish rather than the entree.

**On a random, unrelated food note, do you remember how canteloupe crazy Rashan is?  READ THIS AGAIN!!  STILL hilarious!!! LOLOLOL.