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Healthy & Delicious: Mushroom Risotto

Posted by Kristen Swensson, November 9, 2009 at 10:00 AM

Editor's note: On Mondays, Kristen Swensson of Cheap, Healthy, Good swings by these parts to share healthy and delicious recipes with us. Take it away, Kristen!

[Photograph: Kristen Swensson]

I used to consider risotto too rich, expensive, and upscale for the everyday. Not sure why. Maybe it's the inherent creaminess, or that it's frequently grouped with words like "porcini" and "truffle oil." Maybe it's because I've seen risotto mostly at fancy restaurants. Y'know, the ones I go to all the time. Because I'm unemployed, and we can do that.

Anyway, as it turns out, risotto can be adapted pretty easily to healthy diets and low budgets. Butternut Squash Risotto, which I whipped up a few weeks ago to stunning effect (if I do say so myself), is one example. Mushroom Risotto, which I made earlier this week, is another. A good one, at that.

Sophisticated yet simple, it's a get-together meal that will ingratiate your friends and make your enemies curse your name. The dish is earthy to the nth degree, but never murky, due to an abundance of fresh herbs. A solid dousing of parmesan at the end rounds out the flavor and adds creaminess.

To slash the fat, I halved the olive oil and butter, neither of which were missed. To cut costs without sacrificing too much flavor, I did the following: first, the original recipe calls for dried porcini mushrooms, which are $4.99 at my local supermarket. I substituted Trader Joe's dried wild mushrooms, a comparative bargain at $1.99.

Second, half of the portobellos were swapped for regular ol' button mushrooms. Finally, instead of truffle oil, I added broth from the rehydrated mushrooms. These steps shaved about $5 off the final price, which came in around $14. All changes are reflected below.

The whole shebang begs for a wine pairing, which you can conveniently assign to your dinner guests. Trust me, It's what all the upscale kids are doing.

Mushroom Risotto

- makes 4 to 6 servings -
Adapted from Tyler Florence.

Ingredients

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 ounce dried assorted mushrooms, cleaned
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced and divided
2 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/2 pound button mushrooms
1/2 pound baby bella mushrooms
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)
Truffle oil (optional)

Procedure

1. In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth to a simmer. Keep warm.

2. Pour 1 cup of warmed chicken broth into a small bowl. Add dried mushrooms and cover. After 15 minutes, remove mushrooms and set aside. Then, pour broth back into saucepan holding chicken broth.

3. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add 1/2 the onion and 1/2 the garlic and sauté about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add fresh mushrooms, herbs, and butter. Saute until mushrooms are browned and mostly cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add rehydrated mushrooms. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until everything is warmed through. Season again with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Sauté the remaining onion and garlic, about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add rice and stir until each grain is coated in oil. Cook 1 minute, until rice is a little translucent. Pour in wine and cook until almost completely absorbed.

5. Add about 1 cup of warmed broth into rice and cook, stirring often, until it's all absorbed. Repeat step until rice is tender and warmed broth is almost gone. It should take anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes.

6. When rice is finished, stir in mushroom mixture. Then, stir in cheese and continue cooking until melted. Serve, topped with truffle oil or parsley if you'd like.

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Tags: cheap, healthy, Healthy and Delicious, mains, mushrooms, risotto