Mushroom Risotto

I have seen people on the TV make risotto for years. It may have even be one of the first things I saw cooked on TV. And through all those years, not once did I try to cook it myself. That was until last weekend.

As far as dishes go, it's not that complicated. Just give the rice a quick fry off before slowly adding the stock to make a creamy, delicious mess. It's actually amazing how creamy it becomes once it is cooked, however it also makes it difficult to eat it in large amounts because it becomes so filling.

I decided to make a mushroom risotto with a homemade vegetable stock. The stock was slightly difficult because I didn't have that many different vegetables on hand. In the end, it was still a little bland so I added some chicken stock powder.

The stock:
For the stock, I finely diced three medium carrots and two medium onions. I sauteed them a decent amount of olive oil until they were just about tender. Then about a litre of boiling water was added along with three bay leaves, some peppercorns and a bunch of parsely stalks. It was brought to a rolling boil before it was turned down to the lowest flame possible, covered and let to simmer for at least 90 minutes. A good amount of salt was added to taste, along with a teaspoon of chicken powder. Celery, garlic, leeks and thyme could also have gone in, I just didn't think of it or didn't have them on hand.

The risotto:
Into oil and butter went seven button mushrooms, a medium onion and one and a half teaspoons of crushed garlic (a little bit of bacon could have also gone in for extra yumminess). These were sauteed for a couple of minutes to get the cooking process started. Then 500g of Arborio rice was put into the pan as well and it was all kept moving to coat the rice in the oil and let it absorb a little. Then a ladle of stock (a cup of dry white wine could be substituted for the first go) was added and it was stirred in quickly until it was absorbed into the rice. This was continued until almost all the stock was used and you get something that will ooze on a plate but is not runny or too thick. The best way to describe is it when you are stirring it in the pot, you should be able to draw a line down the middle and it should close in on itself in about 4-5 seconds. Start off slow adding a ladle at a time, but after you see it is getting creamier you can add a bit more. You should begin tasting when you think you are getting close, you are looking for the rice to be cooked but still have some bite.

Once I deemed it to be cooked, I mixed through some enoki mushrooms which had been cut into 1.5 inch pieces, just to warm through more than anything. To finish, season, mix through about a handful of parmesan and some chopped parsely.

I expect to make another one this weekend. I plan to definitely add some meat to it, maybe chicken or just bacon, use white wine at the start of the rice cooking and make a pea risotto rather than a mushroom one. It definitely sounds delicious.