There are few things that can bring joy to a dreary, cold, and raining evening.
For me, some of those things could be; cuddling on the couch with a good movie or book, being with friends and enjoying a cocktail, or being literally anywhere with a giant bowl of risotto.
This hearty vegetarian (easily made vegan) dinner is another very low cost, high flavor comfort dish. The shopping list is minimal, and you might even consider keeping it’s basics (arborio rice, stock, white wine, parmesan, dried mushrooms) on hand for an anytime-on-a-whim fancy dinner situation.
It begins with a really well seasoned stock. This is the lifeline of the risotto, it’s heart and soul. So much like my own heart and soul, I pumped it full of dried porcini mushrooms and a heaping helping of fresh thyme. Risotto is a slow stirred meal where this stock is added in slow increments to create that creamy texture we all know and love. The rice absorbs this liquid, so you need to make sure that it’s good enough to drink.
You will need:
4 cups good quality vegetable stock
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
handful of fresh thyme
Combine all of these ingredients in a pot, and bring up to a simmer. Let these ingredients get to know one another for about 30 minutes, and then shut off the heat. I let this sit covered for about 2 hours before I decided I was hungry and enough was enough.
For the risotto you will need:
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup diced shallot
2 tbs salted butter*
4 tbs olive oil
1 cup dry white wine. I used Pinot Grigio
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese*
2 cups mixed baby portobello and shiitake mushrooms, quartered
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 tsp dried chili flake
4 or 5 sprigs of thyme, stems removed from leaves
salt and pepper
fresh chives
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
On one sheet pan combine the tomatoes, mushrooms, thyme, chili flake, garlic, salt, pepper, and 3 tbs of the olive oil.
Roast these for about 15-20 minutes or until the mushrooms have browned and the tomatoes have burst.
Set aside while we start on the rice.
I say that with hesitation because it truly isn’t just, rice. It’s beauty and love. It’s home.
Get that stock back up to a very low simmer.
Place the butter and remaining 1 tbs olive oil in a large sauté pan with the diced shallot. Sauté the shallot until it is translucent, and not quite taking on color yet.
Add in the rice and stir until it begins to make popping sounds and is beginning to toast.
Now we build. Flavor that is.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the white wine. Try not to immediately salivate when you smell the wine hit the buttery, shallot-ey rice. Stir, stir, stir until it is mostly absorbed.
Okay now here’s what separates risotto from your run of the mill rice side dish: we’re going to add ladle full by ladle full of the hot porcini mushroom and thyme stock.
Add one ladle full, stirring until the liquid is almost completely absorbed but the pan isn’t quite dry yet. You should be able to pull rice with the spoon, and see a little liquid run and fill the space.
Repeat this process for the next 15-20 minutes until you have run out of stock. It’s a labor of love and everyone you make this for may very well fall in love with you.
Towards the end, taste for seasoning and doneness. The rice shouldn’t be hard or too soft. Al dente is perfect. Add salt as desired, and stir in that last 1/2 cup of wine to brighten things up.
Pssst…if you wanted to grate a clove of garlic or 2 into the hot risotto at this point, I wouldn’t judge you. But you do need to invite me over for dinner.
Remove from the heat and stir in that heavenly shower of parmesan.
Serve with the accompanying mushrooms and tomatoes, not forgetting to spoon over the burst tomato and olive oil juice at the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with chopped chives.
Fresh parmesan is always welcome atop my dinner. Pretty much no matter what that may be.
I ate this too fast. I will learn from my mistakes.
Grab your wine, and enjoy.
*Can be made vegan with substitution of vegan butter or olive oil.
Nutritional yeast in lieu of parmesan cheese.