The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1-pound Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1-pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
To begin, warm the chicken broth in a saucepan over low heat. Next, warm two tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Then stir in the Portobello mushrooms and the white mushrooms and cook them until they are soft, approximately three minutes. After the mushrooms are cooked, remove them and their liquid and set them aside.
Next, add one tablespoon of olive oil to a separate skillet and stir in the shallots. Cook them for approximately one minute. Then add the rice, stirring it in the skillet to coat it with the oil, this should take approximately two minutes. Once the rice looks a pale, golden color, pour in the wine. Stir the mixtures constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Next, add 1/2 cup broth to the rice and stir the rice mixture until the broth is fully absorbed.
Continue adding the broth a half cup at a time, making sure to stir continuously. Stir the rice until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, meaning cooked until it’s firm to the bite. This may take approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
After the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat.
Finally, stir in the mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives and parmesan. Season the risotto with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and enjoy!
Commentary:
Each year, for our birthdays my mother will cook a special meal for each member of the family. She has often made risotto for me, so it is a special meal that I really enjoy. It’s also a great meal for the whole family, as it can be made in large quantities.
Risottos can come in so many different varieties, but most of the base steps and ingredients remain the same. So, if you’re not that fond of mushrooms or would like to add some meat, it’s easy to do so. Either substitute the vegetable (I like asparagus) or add a meat before the rice step.
Since we live in a smaller town, we don’t always have as much access to certain more specific ingredients. So, for example, instead of using an Italian Arborio rice, we use white rice and we used pre-shredded (still fresh) parmesan rather than shredding our own. If you have access to Arborio rice and your own parmesan to shred, you can use these ingredients to enhance the flavors and make it more authentically Italian if you wish. Risottos can come in so many different varieties, but most of the base steps and ingredients remain the same. So, I hope this meal brings as much joy to the table as it does to my family and you enjoy cooking up this amazing spread!