08 Nov Cooking: Making Mushroom Risotto at Home

Making risotto isn’t as hard as it seems, but it is as delicious as it looks. Here are some basic steps to make the perfect risotto as taught by my Italian friend. She showed me how easy it is and how anyone can make tasty risotto at home in less than 30 minutes. Start with fresh porcini mushroom. Don’t wash them, rather wipe them with a wet towel and clean the outside with a knife. In a pot of water, add 2 bullion cubes to make a broth.  Once the broth boils, lower the heat to medium. In a large pan, add butter. Once the butter melts, and 1/2 an onion, chopped, and keep on medium heat. Measure out the amount of rice you need. Do 3 handfuls per person plus one for the pot. In a third pan, add olive oil and whole garlic cloves.   Back to the second pan, when the onions start to brown, add the rice and stir.Then add approximately 1/2 glass of white wine and mix. Let it sit a few minutes to pick up the flavor. When the rice is dry, add enough broth to cover and stir intermittently over the next 10-15 minutes.   Back to the third pot, add the mushrooms and a little broth and parsley and cook for 10-15 minutes. Continue to stir the rice in pot #2 (and the mushrooms in pot #3). When the rice absorbs most of the broth, add more to cover it.   Begin adding the mushrooms when the rice is tough, but not too tough, and has approximately 5 minutes left to cook. When the rice is ready, add 2 pats of butter and Parmesan cheese and mix into the rice.   And Voila, you have a home made and delicious Risotto that will please your guests and your palate!