Wild mushrooms add earthy flavor to a classic risotto. (Getty Images) Risotto is an Italian classic for good reason. It’s simple, despite what you may have heard on “Top Chef,” and infinitely adaptable. A basic risotto uses just a few essential ingredients: short-grain Arborio rice, stock, wine, butter and […]
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Risotto is an Italian classic for good reason. It’s simple, despite what you may have heard on “Top Chef,” and infinitely adaptable. A basic risotto uses just a few essential ingredients: short-grain Arborio rice, stock, wine, butter and cheese, typically Parmesan. The rice is sauteed in butter, then doused with wine and cooked, stirring all the while, as you add simmering stock a cup at a time. Arborio rice turns creamy when it’s cooked this way and makes a wonderful canvas for whatever other ingredients strike your fancy, from asparagus and fresh tarragon to butternut squash.
It’s one of eight go-to recipes, says Ann M. Evans, co-founder of the Davis Farmers Market, “I use day in and day out throughout the year when I cook from the market.”
That set of recipes, which is featured in her “The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook,” includes Asian and Italian-style pastas, savory gratins and tarts, roasted veggies, rustic galettes and fruit pies. Consider this take on risotto a template. Switch out the vegetable stock for chicken broth use red wine instead of white, or replace the mushrooms and peas with other tempting seasonal variations.
Basic Risotto Recipe with Four Kinds of Mushrooms
Serves 6 as a main course
Ingredients
2 quarts vegetable stock, homemade or purchased
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided use
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped mushrooms, such as cremini, portobello, shiitake and oyster
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup shelled English peas (scant 1 pound in the pod)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs of your choice, such as rosemary, thyme or sage (optional)
Sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and maintain at a gentle simmer.
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the olive oil. When the oil and butter are hot, add the mushrooms and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 6 tablespoons butter. When it foams, add the onion and saute until almost translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir it gently until it glistens, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed. Before the rice starts to stick to the pan, add about 1 cup hot stock and stir until it is absorbed. Continue adding the stock about 1 cup at a time, stirring until it is absorbed before adding more.
- Continue adding the stock about 1 cup at a time and stirring constantly. After about 10 minutes longer, the rice should be done — just tender to the bite but still slightly firm in the center. (You may not need all the stock.) Stir in the cheese, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the herbs, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt or pepper. For a more liquid risotto, add 1/2 cup stock and stir vigorously for 1 to 3 minutes until creamy. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Spoon the risotto into a warmed serving bowl or individual shallow bowls or plates. Pass the pepper mill and additional cheese at the table.
Seasonal variations:
Spring: Asparagus with tarragon, vegetable or chicken stock and a dry white wine; or English peas and morel mushrooms and a dry white wine
Summer: Sauteed zucchini with vegetable or beef stock and a dry red wine; or sauteed eggplant and basil and a dry red wine
Fall: Butternut squash with sage and a dry red wine; or sun-dried tomatoes with rosemary and a dry red wine.
Winter: Crab or shrimp with vegetable or chicken stock and a dry white wine; or chorizo with thyme and a dry red wine
— “The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook” (Elderflower Press, $27), available at the Davis Farmers Market and Davis’ Avid Reader Books, AvidReaderBooks.com
