This savory, comforting rice dish makes a wonderful accompaniment to a piece of grilled steak. The secret to a successful risotto is to make sure to heat the stock before using in the risotto, stir constantly and use a good quality cheese. This recipe makes 4 servings.
PREP TIME
15 minutes
COOK TIME
45 minutes
Ingredients
8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Directions
Bring broth to a simmer in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low to keep the stock warm.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter, garlic, mushrooms, bay leaf and thyme. Cook until the mushrooms have softened, about 4 more minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Remove mixture from the Dutch oven.
Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the pot and add the arborio rice, stirring quickly. Cook until the grains are well-coated and smell slightly toasty, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until the wine has mostly absorbed.
With a ladle, add about 1 cup hot broth. Stirring often, cook until the rice has mostly absorbed liquid. Add remaining broth about 1 cup at a time, continuing to allow the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. Stir often and cook until the risotto is al dente and creamy, not mushy. (You might not need all the broth.)
Add the mushroom mixture back into the rice. Stir in the parsley and cheese. Serve warm.