I LOVE mushrooms. Any kind of mushrooms. Portabella, oyster, cremini, porcini, champignon, chanterelle, pioppini, lion’s mane. Any. On a pizza with prosciutto crudo, as a filling for fresh pasta, beef rolls, crepes… and more. I just recently tried the shiitake and I really, REALLY like their texture. I threw them also into this risotto, that I’ve made countless times. It’s an easy, quick-fix recipe and it’s one of our favorites, especially if made with three of four kinds of mushrooms.

Grocery Shopping (2 people)

For the vegetable stock 
1/2 onion (or a small whole one)
1 carrot (or 4/5 baby carrots)
2 stems of celery
1 potato
1 cube of vegetable bouillon
4 cups of water

For the Risotto
1 shallot
3 tablespoon of butter
1/2 glass of white wine (about 3 oz)
3 cups of vegetable stock
6 oz of Arborio rice
4 oz of mixed mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, portabella, oyster, pioppini, or porcini)
1 handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated (about 2 tbsp)
1 tbsp of freshly chopped Italian parsley, if you like it
Salt & pepper

HOW-TO

1) Vegetable stock — Chop the onion, the carrot, the stems of celery and the potato and add a half cube of vegetable bouillon. Throw everything into a saucepan and add 4½ cups of water. Cook it for 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Or: use a packaged organic veggie broth – if it comes salted, be sure you taste risotto before adding more salt. 

2) Next, chop up the shallot finely. Pour 2 tbsp. of butter in a saucepan; add the chopped shallot and sauté over medium-high heat.

3) Add the mushrooms and let it cook, stirring.

4) When mushrooms are wilted, stir in the rice. When the rice has turned a golden color, pour in 1/2 a glass of white wine, stirring constantly. Once the wine is fully absorbed, add half a cup of the broth and stir until it is absorbed. Continue adding it, half a cup at a time, stirring continuously, until all liquid is absorbed. Rice will be ‘al dente’ (tender yet firm to the bite) in about 15-20 min.

5) A few seconds before removing from heat, blend in a teaspoon of butter and a handful of Parmigiano and let it cream up for one minute or so. Remove from heat, adjust with salt to taste and – if you like it – serve with some freshly chopped parsley.