Asparagus & Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is one of those things that when you think about eating it, you might say... I'll only order that in a restaurant, that's "restaurant food" it's too difficult and time consuming to make. Well, you guys know me by now and I'm not gonna lie to you...that's true and not true.

The reality is, risotto happens to be one of the easiest things to make. It's doesn't require a

huge skill level in the kitchen and just about anyone can make it. It also isn't as time consuming as you might think. It takes about 25 minutes, no more than you would normally be taking to make a dinner.... so here's the deal...although you can't just leave the risotto on the cooktop and walk away, you don't have to stand there constantly and stir it to death! You gotta pay attention to it, and you'll even have enough time to prepare other things while you're allowing it to cook

. As long as you get the basic concept of it which is, to allow the risotto to absorb a little broth at a time until it reaches a creamy consistency, you've got it!

Mushroom & Asparagus  Risotto

1 ½ Cups Arborio Rice

6 Cups Chicken Broth

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

½-1 Pound of Mushrooms (Assorted- it’s up to you!)

1 Bunch of Asparagus (the tips only) 

½ Cup Dry White Wine

4 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Cream
Salt & White Pepper to taste

1/3 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

• In a saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer- leave on the stove simmering
• In another large sauce pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and stir in the mushrooms & asparagus– allow to sweat for about 3-5 minutes
• Remove from pan set aside
• In that same saucepan with the remaining juices from the mushrooms & leek, add Arborio Rice, slowly begin to combine wine and stir the rice constantly until the wine is completely absorbed.
• Then begin adding chicken broth ½ a cup at a time. Stir constantly until the broth is absorbed fully and repeat until you use all of the chicken broth. This should take approx. 15-20 minutes
• Remove from heat and add butter, mushrooms & leek with their liquid , cream & the parmesan cheese.

** sidenote**

Types of Mushrooms that you can use: Portobello, White, Shitake, Crimni, Button- For this recipe I think a combo of Portobello & White Mushrooms will be best, although Shitake is pretty darn good too!

What is Arborio Rice? Arborio rice is a variety of short-grained rice that’s used primarily for making risotto. It is always prepared al dente, or slightly firm to the bite.

It is super important to just keep your eye on the risotto, especially once you start getting closer to the stock being fully absorbed… if you don’t you might get some scorching of the rice on the bottom of your pan.

Do not add more ladels of stock before all of it has been mostly absorbed.

And finally… risotto turns really gummy if you let it sit for too long! It should be served right away. Should you want to reheat it if this happens, just add a little stock and heat and stir it until the stock gets reabsorbed and the risotto is creamy again!

Things you can use to accompany with Risotto are: Shrimp or Calamari, Roasted Chicken, Veal Medallions, Pumpkin, Squash, Peas, Prosciutto... I could go on an on....

Please feel free to leave any comments or ideas of your own! If you have any other recipes or stories that you'd like to share with me, please forward them to michelle@foodfromthehearttv.com