Spring Time Risotto
CC#2 got a special treat last weekend. What’s the occasion? A 5-pound box of fresh oyster mushroom from Freshgogo and spring asparagus on sale at my local Shoprite for a dollar a pound! No need for further inspiration and motivation! This recipe is adapted from the Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto recipe from Serious Eats, which is much simpler than the traditional slow method. My addition of sun-dried tomatoes also won rave reviews.
Ingredients:
1 quart mushroom soaking stock (1 liter)
1 ounce (30g) dried porcini, black trumpet, or morel mushrooms
1 1/2 cups (about 300g) risotto rice
2 pounds fresh mushrooms, such as shiitake, cremini, and/or oyster trimmed and thinly sliced
6 tablespoons (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (50g) unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 purple onion, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons (10ml) seasoned soy sauce (Japanese ramen soup base)
1 tablespoon (15ml) miso paste
3/4 cup (175ml) dry white wine
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 pounds trimmed asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream (optional)
1 ounce (30g) finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves (about 8g)
Instructions:
Wash and drain rice
Soak dried mushrooms in boiling water (4 cups) for 20 minutes
Roughly chop soaked mushrooms, and set aside
Pour soaking water into separate container (watch out for sand or other dirt sitting at the bottom) , and stir in soy sauce and miso paste until evenly incorporated
Blanch asparagus in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, run under cold tap water, and set aside
Heat oil and butter in a heavy 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat swirling, until foaming subsides. Add fresh mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until excess moisture has evaporated and mushrooms are well browned, about 8 minutes.
Add onion, garlic, and chopped rehydrated mushrooms, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened and aromatic, about 4 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is evenly coated in oil and toasted but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. (Rice grains should start to look like tiny ice cubes: translucent around the edges and cloudy in the center.)
Add wine and cook, stirring, until raw alcohol smell has cooked off and wine has almost fully evaporated, about 2 minutes
Give reserved stock a good stir and pour all but 1 cup over rice. Add a large pinch of salt , increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Stir rice once, making sure no stray grains are clinging to the side of the pan above the liquid. Cover and reduce heat to lowest possible setting.
Cook rice for 10 minutes undisturbed. Stir once, shake pan gently to redistribute rice, cover, and continue cooking until liquid is mostly absorbed and rice is tender with just a faint bite, about 5 minutes longer.
Remove lid. Stir remaining 1 cup of stock into rice. Increase heat to high, add asparagus and chopped sun-dried tomato, and cook, stirring and shaking rice constantly until asparagus is tender-crisp and rice is thick and creamy; add more stock or water as necessary if risotto becomes too thick and dry. Off heat, add cheese and stir rapidly to thoroughly incorporate. Fold in heavy cream, if using. Season with salt and stir in the herbs. Serve immediately on hot plates, passing more cheese and olive oil at the table.
Note: This makes quite a bit of risotto so no need to double recipe.
