A Week of Quiet...Too Quiet

Readers, I am terribly sorry for abandoning you like this.  But the Amateur Foodie has been cooped up in the house.  I've missed talking with you!

Now, a couple nights ago, I had a real hankering for risotto.  You know, that delicious, creamy rice dish that takes a half hour and far too much stirring to create.

Well, I was going to get my risotto, whether I felt like making it or not.  Unfortunately, my ab-fab favorite Italian spot is just a tad too far away to hop in the car and pick up a quick dinner.  Plus, I'd never want to rush my meal from Antico...far too precious.

So I searched the pantry of the family kitchen.  We had arborio rice...but none of the chicken broth that would be necessary for my risotto.  Bummer, man.  But we did have some dried shiitake mushrooms, the kind that need to be boiled and rehydrated before you can use them.

When you reconstitute (or rehydrate) dried mushrooms, you are left with a tasty mushroom-flavored stock that can be used for other applications.  Bingo!  I had my solution.

And so my Shiitake Mushroom Risotto was born.

Ingredients:

1 c. arborio rice
~3 c. water
~1 c. dried shiitake mushrooms
3 Tsp. unsalted butter
~1/2 c. minced sweet Vidalia onion
3 Tsp. olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 large clove of garlic
Grana padano or parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Instructions:

1. First you need to prep the mushrooms.  Put them in a saucepan with the water and a liberal helping of salt and place over medium heat until the water reaches a boil.  Then shut off the heat, cover, and allow to sit and steep for about 20 minutes.  For extra flavor, I smashed a clove of garlic with the side of a large knife and floated it in the cooking water.  Remove the mushrooms from the broth and chop them into reasonably sized pieces, and return the stock to the stove, allowing it to come up to a simmer.
2. Next, cook the onion in the butter and olive oil until softened and translucent.
3. Add the dry uncooked rice to the onions and allow to toast for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Begin adding simmering stock, about a cupful at a time, stirring constantly after each addition until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
5. Once all the liquid has been added and the rice is thick and creamy, stir in as much or as little cheese as you like, plus salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with a sprinkling of cheese and a twist of black pepper.

There's nothing like a good mushroom risotto.  Trust me.  And you can make a mushroom risotto almost as good as the one you get at your favorite Italian restaurant.  And even if it isn't that great, you'll have killer biceps on your stirring arm (Trust me: I made my risotto a few nights ago and my arm is still sore!).

Until the next,

~AF

(Oh, and by the way, my posts regarding our family tapas adventure will be up as soon as I can figure out how to edit [i.e. brighten] my photos from the restaurant.  Who knew being polite and turning the flash off on my phone in the restaurant would prove to be so detrimental...Anyway.  You'll hear about it soon.  Don't worry.)