Portobello-Shiitaki-Oyster Mushroom Risotto

You may be thinking - didn't she already write about a mushroom risotto (porcini risotto)? Well, yes, I did... but this one is very different. For one, I use different mushrooms in this recipe. I also use red wine instead of white, and I use pecorino instead of parmigiano. There are a few other slight differences as well, but both are very delicious.  I made this risotto because I purchased a gourmet mushroom mix pack, including Oyster, Portobello, and Shiitaki mushrooms. Originally thinking I would make it for a pasta dish...but then I decided to go with Risotto because the mushroom dish I was thinking about includes pancetta, and I didn't have any handy (so TBA on this recipe one day!).  We enjoyed this risotto with a glass (or two) of our homemade Cabernet Sauvignon. I recommend finding good wine to drink with this, as well as use in the recipe.

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 6-7 cups chicken broth, as needed
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1.5-2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup Red Wine
• 3 sprigs of thyme, pricked off the sprig
• 1 sprig of Fresh Rosemary, pricked off the sprig
• 4oz Mushroom mix: Oyster, Portobello, Shiitaki 
• 1/3 cup Pecorino cheese, grated
• Pinch of Crush Red Pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the chicken broth in a medium sauce pan. Keep warm over low heat.

In a medium skillet, melt half the butter over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add half the onion and garlic. Once translucent, add the mushrooms. Mix well and cook over medium heat. Season with a little salt and pepper. Once they start to get soft, turn off heat and set aside. You don't want to over cook them as they will continue cooking in the risotto.

In the mean time, in a separate, large saucepan, melt the rest of the butter over medium heat and add in olive oil. Add in remaining onion, garlic, a pinch of crushed red pepper. Cook until translucent. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat each grain. When the rice begins to make a crackling sound, add the red wine. Stir constantly, letting the red wine cook off and the rice absorb the wine.

After about 90 seconds, add in 1 ladle of the warm broth and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Repeat this process, adding the remaining broth, one ladle at a time. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more.  About midway, add the mushroom mix along with the rosemary and thyme.

Test the rice to see if it is done. It should be slightly al dente, but creamy.  Add additional salt and pepper as needed.  After you add in your final ladle of broth, add in the grated pecorino cheese and stir well until cheese is blended. 

Plate in a bowl and garnish with fresh rosemary.

Red Wine Arancini

Arancini, better known as rice balls or risotto balls. This was the first time I took a stab at making them. The typical way to make Arancini is with a dry white wine, but of course I like to reinvent the wheel and use red wine instead. The red wine gives more depth in the arancini flavor profile, and it also gives a unique color to the rice. In my recipe, I stuff the risotto balls with mozzarella, but you can stuff with meat, prosciutto, sausage, peas, mushrooms, anything you want. I topped the arancini off with my meat sauce and extra parmigiano, but you can use plain pasta sauce if that's what you have readily available.

Preparing the arancini is a lot of work. One can argue that making risotto itself is complex, now add a few more steps after that and it's a big project. I recommend making these when you feel patient and have time to dedicate. They are time consuming, but oh so worth it!

Ingredients: Makes 7-8 Arancini

• 1 1/2 cups Arobo Rice
• 1/2 Red Onion, chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Cup Red Wine
• 6-8 cups Chicken Broth, as needed
• 2 tbs Butter
• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 2 balls of Mozzarella, cubed
• Crushed Red Pepper, Salt, Cracked Black Pepper to season
• 3 stems of fresh Thyme, finely chopped
• 1 large stem of fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
• Handful of fresh Basil, Finley chopped
• 3 Eggs
• Flour
• Breadcrumbs
• Canola Oil
• Tomato Sauce
• Extra grated Parmigiano

Risotto:
In a separate, large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add in olive oil. Add in onion, garlic, crushed red pepper and cook until translucent. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat each grain. When rice begins to make a crackling sound, add the red wine. Stir constantly, letting the the wine cook off and the rice to absorb the wine.

After about 3 minutes, add in 1 ladle of the warm broth and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Repeat this process, adding the remaining broth, one ladle at a time. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. About half way through, add in the chopped herbs.

After you add in your final ladle of broth, add in the grated parmiggiano and pecorino cheese and stir well until cheese is blended. 

Test the rice to see if it is done, and make sure all the liquid is absorbed.  Add additional salt and pepper as needed.  Set aside to cool in a separate bowl.

Arancini Preparation:
Set up: Crack two eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork. Put some flour and breadcrumbs on two separate plates. Have another clean plate ready to rest the arancini before cooking.

Crack the remaining egg into the cooled risotto and mix well.

Cup one tablespoon of risotto in one hand and add a few cubes mozzarella. Cup another tablespoon on top and form into a ball. Set on the clean plate and continue making the risotto balls with mozzarella in the middle.

Now, roll each ball into the flour, coating it very well. Next, dredge into the beaten eggs, one at a time. From the eggs, immediately roll the into the breadcrumbs, allowing a generous coating. Put back on the plate until you are ready to deep dry.

Heat the canola oil. You can use a deep fryer or sauce pan, make sure there is enough oil in the pan so that the arancini will be submerged. Fry a couple of arancini at a time for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb extra oil.

Serve with meat sauce and grated parmigiano on top. I also served these with a side of my garlic bread!

Porcini Risotto

The story with this recipe is as follows....

The Italy vs England Euro Cup game was on, and in an effort to celebrate with food, I obviously had to cook something Italiano! What first came to mind when thinking about an Italian Sunday was Pasta, obviously.  But pasta was too typical - I wanted to diverge away from the usual Sunday Pasta and Sauce, so I went with the next best thing - Risotto!

These few Italian ingredients created a tremendous flavor. The tomato and white wine really shine in this dish...Maybe it should be called tomato and white wine Risotto... Well, you be the judge!  Try it , and enjoy as much as we did.

Buon Appetito, and Forza Azzurri!!!

Ingredients: 4 servings

• 7-8 cups chicken broth
• 1 small can of tomato puree
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• Few strands of Saffron
• 1/2-3/4 cups Dry Porcini Mushrooms, cut into pieces and hydrated
• 3/4 cup Parmiggiano cheese, grated
• Pinch of Crush Red Pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken broth, saffron, and the tomato puree, and bring to a simmer. Keep warm over low heat.

In a separate, large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add in olive oil. Add in onion, garlic, crushed red pepper and cook until translucent.

Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat each grain.

When rice begins to make a crackling sound, add the white wine. Stir constantly, letting the the wine cook off and the rice absorb the wine. After about 90 seconds, add in 1 ladle of the warm broth and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Repeat this process, adding the remaining broth, one ladle at a time. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more.

About mid way, add in the Porcini Mushrooms.

After you add in your final ladle of broth, add in the grated parmigiano and stir well until cheese is blended. 

Test the rice to see if it is done. It should be slightly al dente, but creamy.  Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Plate in a bowl and garnish with a basil leaf, which will give a nice aroma to the dish.

Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

So I'll admit it, I successfully made risotto last week and got a little excited to make it for a second time. I changed it up quite a bit and it was delishhhh! Inspired by ingredients Ryan requested, I came up with this.

Now let's get two things straight..."Seafood doesn't go well with cheese" - false. "Red wine doesn't go well with Seafood" - false. I made some damn good Shrimp risotto with loads of parmiggiano cheese and enjoyed a lovely glass of Caymus Cab Sav with it.  So whoever made those rules can go take a hike! Here's how it goes:

Ingredients: For 2 servings

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 3/4 lb Medium Shrimp, cleaned, de-veined, tail off, cut into halves
• Bunch of Asparagus, cut into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces
• 1 Large or 2 Medium Tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup Parmiggiano cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
The Veggies: Warm the garlic in a skillet with some olive oil. You don't need to use that much oil because the asparagus will sweat out some water while they cook. Add in the chopped asparagus and mix so they get coated in the oil and garlic. After about 5 minutes, add in the chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Let cook covered with a lid  until tomatoes are softened. Set aside.

The Shrimp: Season the cut shrimp with salt, cracked pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Warm olive oil in a skillet and toss in the shrimp. Let them cook HALF WAY - i.e. half grey, half pink. They will continue cooking in the risotto. Set aside.

half way cooked

The Risotto:

In a small saucepan, bring chicken broth to a simmer and keep warm over low heat.

In a separate, large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add in olive oil. Add in onion and cook until translucent. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat each grain. When rice begins to make a crackling sound, add the white wine. Stir constantly, letting the the wine cook off and the rice to absorb the wine. After about 90 seconds, add in 1 ladle of the warm chicken broth and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Repeat this adding the remaining broth, one ladle at a time. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more.

Before you are about to add in your last ladle, add in the grated parmiggiano and mix in well. Now add in the shrimp and stir all together, allowing the shrimp to continue cooking.  Add in salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Add the remaining chicken broth along with the asparagus and tomatoes into the risotto and let cook together until all liquid is absorbed. Test the rice to see if it is done, it should be somewhat al dente but creamy. Add additional salt / pepper as needed.

Let cook until all liquid is absorbed, but make sure to not over cook ! Shrimp will fully cook in the risotto.

Crack some pepper and enjoy!

Osso Buco Milanese

Osso Buco and Saffron Risotto

Osso Buco - Bone with a Hole. Ryan and I have ordered this at restaurants and have spent quite a few bucks devouring it. That said, of course I had to try to make it on my own; cooked it for the first time in Oct '11 - I have to say they were prettyyyy pretttyyyy pretttttyyy tasty.  This past weekend was my mom's Birthday and I was hosting some VIP's. I wanted to make something special and different so I went with this! Saffron Risotto recipe at the end.

Ingredients: 4 Portions

• 4 pieces veal shank with bone, cut 3 inches thick
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 spring of fresh rosemary
• 1 spring of fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:
Pat the meat dry to remove any access moisture. Secure the meat with kitchen twine to hold the meat to the bone. In a large shallow platter/container, season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the veal shanks in the mixture and tap off any excess.

Pat Dry

Dredge in flour

   

In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven, over medium flame, heat the oil and butter. Sear the shanks on all sides. Add more oil and butter if needed. Remove the browned veal shanks and set aside.

Sear and set aside

Chop Onion, Celery, and Carrots

In the same pot, add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, and parsley to the pan and cook until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high, add the red and white wine and deglaze the pan.

 

Add to pan with herbs and cook for about 8 minutes

 

Return the shanks to the pan, add the stock and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 2-2 1/2 hours, until the meat is falling-off-the-bone-tender. Baste the meat every 10 minutes during cooking and rotate 1-2 times. Remove the cover, continue to simmer for 10 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.

Serve with extra sauce on top, along side risotto. I've also served this with a side of my Parmesan rosemary potatoes.

Saffron Risotto: http://little-italian-lady.blogspot.com/2012/01/parmiggiano-saffron-risotto.html
Rustic Parmesan Rosemary Potatoes: http://little-italian-lady.blogspot.com/2011/12/happy-holiday-sides-part-2.html



Parmigiano Saffron Risotto

Add in broth, stir, let rice soak it up, stir. Repeat!

I LOVE risotto - I loved eating it when other people cooked it! For some reason I was always intimidated to cook it myself, but I forced myself to do it when I decided to make Osso Buco. Cooking risotto is not nearly as scary or difficult as I imagined, you just need to pay close attention to it and stir constantly. Well here is my cheesy, creamy version of it... Apologies for the limited photos - I was very caught up with making the risotto, I got a bit carried away and forgot to snap some action shots!

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 3-4 pinches saffron threads
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to a simmer add in saffron threads. Keep warm over low heat.

In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat and add in olive oil. Add in onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat each grain. When rice begins to make a crackling sound, add 1 ladle of the warm chicken broth and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add remaining broth, ladle at a time. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. Add in salt and cracked black pepper to taste. (**) Add in grated cheese about half way through cooking. Test the rice to see if it is done, it should be somewhat al dente but creamy.

Serve at once with Osso Buco Milanese.

(**) - Here is where you can get creative. Since I was serving this with Osso Buco, I took some of the Osso Buco meat + sauce and added it to the risotto. But you can make it with ground meat, mushrooms, shrimp, roasted vegetables, etc. Just saute the ingredient with the onion and garlic separately and add into risotto right after you add in all the chicken broth.

Link to Osso Buco Recipe: http://little-italian-lady.blogspot.com/2012/01/osso-buco-milanese.html