Mushroom Risotta

Risotto is an Italian dish of rice that is cooked in chicken or vegetable broth to a creamy consistency.   Shorter -grained rice like Arborio  is used to make risotto.  The starch component of the dry grain creates a thick, creamy sauce when cooked with the stock.

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock
8 oz assorted mushrooms, like shitake, porcini, dried morels
1/2  onion, finely diced
3/4  cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1  Tbsp butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Slice porcini set aside. Soak morels in warm water for 20 to 30 minutes. Reserve soaking liquid  to add to the risotto.

In a saucepan, heat the stock and the reserve soaking liquid to a gentle simmer.

Heat some oil in a sauté  pan. Add some olive oil to a sauce pan, then fry the onion until soft.  Add the morels and sauté for a minute. Add the rice, and stir it thoroughly so that each grain is coated with oil and lightly toasted.  Add 1/2 cup dry wine and stir until it is fully absorbed before adding the stock.

Add  the hot chicken stock a cup at a time. Each time you add the stock make sure that it is fully absorbed before adding the next. You can add the reserved hot soaking liquid now too. Stir the mixture constantly to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After  15 minutes, add the sliced porcini mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir until the rice is al dente.  The texture should be looking creamy, moist and should not be soupy in consistency.  It should take about 20 minutes to cook. To finish, remove from heat and add the butter and Parmesan.

Serve immediately.