Mushroom Risotto

I made one of my favorite dishes tonight - risotto. This one was a very simple portabella mushroom risotto that happened to come out extra creamy and delicious. It's very easy to make fantastic risotto; it just takes a bit of time.

Ingredients:
2 cups risotto (arborio rice)
5-6 cups chicken stock
1/2-1 cup white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup butter
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 large shallot (minced)
1-2 cups portabella mushrooms (sliced)
Parmesan or pecorino romano cheese (grated)
Italian herb mix (oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley)
Salt & pepper to taste


Steps:

1. Sauté the shallots and garlic for a couple minutes in the oil & butter over med high heat.
2. Add the risotto. Stir well to coat all the grains. Cook until each grain has a "pearl" or white center within the translucent outer layer - about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the 'shrooms. Cook for another minute or so to soften.
4. Add the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring well.
5. Add the entirety of the chicken stock and reduce heat to low. Add seasonings. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 25-30 minutes, or until the risotto has become thick and creamy (should fall off the spoon reluctantly but not stick to it). In the past I have gradually added the stock after bringing the whole thing up to a boil but I think adding all the liquid first and simmering on low heat for the entirety of the cooking resulted in a creamier risotto and better texture (although I also used a new brand of risotto this time. One would think rice is rice but who knows?)
   
6. Make sure to taste after about 20 minutes or if it looks like most of the liquid has been absorbed. The individual grains should have a slight bite to them (al dente) but be surrounded in creamy goodness.
7. Add the bulk of the cheese at this point. This will help with the creaminess.
8. Serve, topping with more grated cheese.

I was lucky enough to use some Dunn Reserve, a high-end white wine; extremely limited vintage; usually only available to personal friends of the vintners.

Normally I use a cheap (e.g. Yellowtail) pinot grigio and it works well.

Note: One problem with risotto is that it's never the same after that first night. It tends to get very sticky and gluey reheated. But I've found that if you save a bit of chicken stock and add that to a bowl of risotto to be microwaved, it vastly improves matters.

Cellentani Makes the World Go Round

I made this tonight. I used hot and sweet sausage from the Goose, and I made the sauce from scratch. Ruffino chianti ($12.99 for a 1.5L!) and - get this - a bit of brown sugar. I usually add sugar to sweeten the gravy but we were out of white. Out of necessity I tried some brown, and it worked very well. I used some of that six-cheese Italian Sargento blend on top. Now I'm not one for either bragging or exaggeration, but this was the best thing that happened to me since that time we elected a black man as POTUS.

Man that felt good to type!

Off to Cruftlabs to bask in the collective patriotism of my peers. Chill, baby, chill.