Mushroom And Spring Vegetable Risotto Food

SPRING RISOTTO

Steps:

• Add 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once butter foams add the onion and saute until tender and soft, about 6 minutes.
• Season the onion with salt and pepper. Add the rice and cook while stirring, until you can hear the rice crackle softly, and it becomes translucent around the edges. Add the wine and cook, while stirring, until the wine is almost dry and absorbed.
• Once wine has been absorbed, add 1 cup hot broth at a time, stirring until almost all the liquid is absorbed, and then adding more. Cook until the rice is tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Stir in the blanched asparagus and peas. Cook until the peas are very bright green and the asparagus is warmed through. Remove from heat and add the remaining 1tablespoon butter and the finely grated Parmesan.

MICROWAVE MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Steps:

• Stir together the dried porcini and 1 cup of the chicken broth in a microwave-safe 2-cup or larger measuring cup. Microwave, uncovered, on high (at 100 percent power) until the broth is hot but not boiling, 1 1/2 minutes in an 1,100-watt oven or 2 1/2 minutes in a 700-watt oven. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the porcini pieces from the liquid with a slotted spoon, squeezing out excess moisture in the process. Chop the porcini coarsely. Reserve the chopped porcini and the porcini broth separately.
• Place the shallots, garlic, cremini and shiitake mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of the butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a microwave-safe 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with 2 pieces of plastic wrap; make a small slit in the center with the tip of a paring knife to vent excess steam. Microwave on high (at 100 percent power) until all the vegetables have softened, 5 minutes in an 1,100-watt oven or 9 minutes in a 700-watt oven. (When removing the plastic, be careful to avoid the hot steam.) If some of the vegetables still seem a little raw, stir and microwave again, covered, in 30-second increments.
• Add the rice to the baking dish, and stir to coat the grains. Add the white wine, 1 1/2 cups of the remaining chicken broth, reserved porcini broth (leaving the sediment at the bottom of the cup) and chopped porcini, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and microwave on high (at 100 percent power) for 8 minutes in an 1,100-watt oven or 10 minutes in a 700-watt oven. Stir the risotto, and add the remaining 1 cup chicken broth. Cover and microwave on high (at 100 percent power) until the rice is cooked but with the faintest bite in the center, 9 minutes in an 1,100-watt oven or 15 minutes in a 700-watt oven. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, Parmesan and parsley, and stir vigorously until creamy. At this stage, the risotto should be thick but pourable from a spoon; if it's too stiff, splash in more broth. Let sit, covered, for 2 minutes to rest and come together. Serve with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan on top.

MUSHROOM AND PANCETTA RISOTTO

Steps:

• Warm the chicken broth and rosemary in a saucepan over medium heat; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes; remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add the mushrooms to the pot and cook until slightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to the plate; set aside.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot; add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and toast, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the wine is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add 3 cups warm broth and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until most of the liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 3 more cups broth; return to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the rice is just tender, about 13 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat; stir in the pancetta, mushrooms, butter, cheese and chives. Stir in more hot broth if the risotto is too thick; season with salt and pepper. Top with more chives.

WILD MUSHROOM AND PUMPKIN RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat oil in saucepan and cook onions until tender. Stir in garlic and thyme. Stir in mushrooms and cook until golden. Add in rice and cook for 1 minute. Add in pumpkin and stir to coat. Add one cup of stock and stir until absorbed then add second cup. Continue adding stock in this manner until all liquid is absorbed. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper

SPRING GREEN RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)
• When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.
• Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

LEEK, MUSHROOM AND LEMON RISOTTO

Steps:

• Wash the leeks well and slice. Wipe the mushrooms and slice.
• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the leeks and mushrooms, cooking over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pan and saute the onion over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.
• Stir in the arborio rice and cook for 1 minute. Add one cupful of fresh stock to the pan and cook gently, stirring occasionally; until all liquid is absorbed.
• Continue stirring in one cupful of stock at a time, until each cupful is absorbed. This should take about 25 minutes. The risotto should by the end turn thick and creamy; the rice tender but not sticky.
• Just before serving, stir in the leeks and mushrooms, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, lemon juice and zest, half of the cheese, and the fresh herbs.
• Adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, garnish with herb sprigs and lemon wedges. Serve warm.

RISOTTO OF SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Tip the rice into a pan of boiling, lightly salted water. Boil gently for 6 minutes then drain in a sieve. There should still be a white core in the centre of the grains. Spread the part-cooked rice on a clean tray, cool, then chill until you are ready to finish the risotto. If covered with cling film, the rice can be kept for up to 24 hours. Shave about 25g off the parmesan wedge and set aside for later. Finely grate the rest and save for use in Step 8.
• Blanch the broad beans for 1 minute in boiling water then drain and rinse them in a colander under cold water. Using your fingers, pop each bean from its skin. (Thawed frozen beans can be popped without blanching.)
• Trim the asparagus and cut the spears at an angle into lozenge shapes. Bring 1 litre of water to the boil in a large pan, add 1 tsp of sea salt, then the asparagus, shelled peas and beans. Return to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, put lots of ice cubes into a large bowl half filled with cold water.
• Drain the vegetables in a colander set over a bowl to catch and save the cooking water, then tip them straight into the bowl of iced water. When cold, drain again and set aside.
• Pour the saved vegetable water into a pan and whisk in the stock powder. When ready to finish the risotto, bring the stock to the boil and keep it on a simmer.
• In another large pan, gently sauté the shallot, spring onions and garlic in the 2 tablespoons of oil and half the butter for 3-5 minutes until softened. Stir in the wine and cook until reduced by half.
• Tip in the rice. Now add a ladle of boiling stock and stir until it is absorbed. Add the remaining stock, a ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed before you add more. This takes about 8 minutes, by which time the mixture should be slightly sloppy, not dry. You may not need all the stock. The rice is cooked when it is just softened and has a nice shiny glaze. Remove the garlic clove.
• Gently stir in the vegetables and remaining chives and return to a gentle simmer, adding a little extra stock if needed. Stir in the last of the butter, the grated parmesan and the mascarpone. Check the seasoning. Divide immediately between four warmed shallow bowls, drizzle over a little oil and scatter the parmesan shavings onto each serving.