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If you’re looking for a good appetizer to serve, look no further than the classic risotto. It’s the most common way of cooking rice in Italy, and with good reason! This Italian fare is a savory rice dish served in a creamy broth, and can include a wide range of ingredients and flavors.

Mushrooms and risotto are a perfect pair. There are so many mushrooms to choose from, it can be a little hard to figure out where to start. After a little experimenting, we decided to use an even combination of two mushrooms for a slightly more complex flavor without drowning out the taste of any individual mushroom. In this case, we used 1 cup oyster, and 1 cup portobello. If you want to make this dish vegetarian friendly, substitute out chicken stock for vegetable stock. Keep reading below for this delicious risotto recipe…

Two-Mushroom Risotto

(makes 4-6 servings)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup oystermushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1 cup portobello mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 2/3 cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1/3 cup peeled and minced shallots
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
  • 2 cups arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • fresh parsley or chives for garnish

Directions

  1. Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
  2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a separate, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the mushrooms and shallots and saute about 5 minutes.
  4. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add the rice and stir to combine.
  6. Stir in the thyme.
  7. Add the wine and bring to a boil to reduce the liquid by about half (3-4 minutes).
  8. Add the stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to keep the rice sticking to the edges of the pan. (almost constantly).
  9. Add the next 1/2 cup only after the stock is almost completely absorbed by the rice. This should take about 25 minutes in total.
  10. You will end up with a rice that has been just cooked and is slightly chewy.
  11. Stir in Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Use parsley or chives for garnish.
  12. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes

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