Mushroom Risotto

Everyone has their own version of comfort food, but Mushroom Risotto is one of mine. It’s creamy, nutritious, comforting and delicious! And making this is also very calming. You stir, mix and add fragrant ingredients and then enjoy a magnificent meal.

This risotto is packed with so much flavor from all of the fresh herbs and the dried, reconstituted mushrooms that give it that extra flavor to make it pop.

Many people presume that making risotto is a huge and complicated task. Well, actually, it is very simple. Think about it. It only takes under 30 minutes from start to finish to have such a 5 star restaurant meal. And, you control the ingredients and the salt intake. No MSG’s here! No ingredients you cannot pronounce. Because as I always say, if you cannot pronounce the ingredients then what do you think your body thinks about them?

Mushroom risotto is a great vegetarian meal. It contains fresh mushrooms and dried porcini mushrooms which are fungi that help to improve your resistance to infection and strengthens your immune system. Scientists have also discovered that the compounds mushrooms contain speed up the healing process for ulcers.

They contain no cholesterol while their high protein content helps the body to consume cholesterol. They also help remove plaque accumulations from the walls of blood vessels. Consumption of mushrooms assists to redress an excess of LDL (bad) cholesterol over HDL (good) cholesterol to reduce risks of heart disease.

Mushrooms are also known to reduce the risk of cancer. A constant concern for people today.

Several studies have shown how the Beta-Glucans and conjugated Linoleic Acid they contain reduces the chances of breast and prostate cancer. An added bonus.

Mushrooms also play an important role when it comes to iron. Especially in pregnant women. Many women lack sufficient iron levels that create so many other health issues for them due to the lack of this nutrient. The body absorbs almost all of the iron value it extracts from mushrooms. This encourages red blood cells to grow and significantly lowers the risks of anemia. So cook them up ladies!

But the fun and laid back take from this is to always enjoy what you eat! The rest is a much added bonus. So, Enjoy!

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth plus 1/4 cup of mushroom broth from reconstituted mushrooms, strained
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, diced, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoons butter
Kosher Salt and pepper
1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

Heat the chicken or vegetable broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Later, add in the strained mushroom liquid, 1/4 cup.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 of the diced onion and 1 clove minced garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drain and strain the dried mushrooms reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid for adding into the broth. This adds in more flavor. Add the dried porcini mushrooms which were reconstituted in 1 cup of hot water. Saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.

Coat a saucepan with remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Saute the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated. About 1 minute.

Add into the broth the 1/4 cup of reserved mushroom liquid. Now, using a ladle, add 1 ladle of the warm broth into the rice and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 ladle at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. This should take about 20 minutes. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Serve with more shredded Parmesan.