Asparagus and Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto
I love mushrooms. When I was a vegetarian they were often the center of my meal; grilled, sautéed, added to pasta dishes or soups. They have that great umami flavor that is so often missing from vegetarian cuisine. If you haven't tried replacing your burger patty with a nicely grilled portabello mushroom, some swiss cheese and maybe some caramelized onions for a mushroom melt, I recommend it!
The Pacific Northwest has a great selection of farmed and foraged mushrooms and I'm so thrilled every time I visit the market. It's hard to decide which variety to buy. In a few weeks, we should be getting locally foraged truffles. I can't wait!
Simmer 4 cups of chicken vegetable stock over low heat. Start the risotto by finely dicing a shallot and two cloves of garlic. Sauté shallot and garlic in two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. When softened, add 1 cup of arborio rice. Sauté rice for a few minutes until it becomes slightly translucent. Add 1/4 cup of dry white wine and stir until absorbed.
Begin adding stock one ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed. Continue this process until rice is almost fully cooked and most of the stock has been added and absorbed; about 15 minutes.
When rice is almost done, add the asparagus and mushrooms. Asparagus is cut into bite sized pieces and mushrooms are coarsely chopped. Stir in a tablespoon of fresh thyme. Add more stock if needed and cook until rice is done and asparagus and mushrooms are tender.
Finish the risotto with freshly grated parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. To veganize this dish, you can certainly leave out the grated cheese at the end and use only vegetable stock. Add a touch more salt to make up for the lack of cheese, but the arborio rice releases enough starch to make a creamy risotto without the addition of dairy.
Recipe
Asparagus and Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto
By Land of Noms, December 5, 2014
A creamy risotto with fresh asparagus and chanterelles; easliy vegetarian or vegan.
asparagus, chanterelle, risotto, comfort food
Ingredients
- 4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup of arborio rice
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup of dry white wine
- 1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup of diced chanterelle mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
- Grated parmesan cheese (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Simmer 4 cups of stock over low heat
- In a large pan over medium heat, saute shallot and garlic in olive oil until softened
- Add arborio rice and saute for a few minutes or until rice begins to turn translucent
- Add 1/4 cup of dry white wine and stir until absorbed
- Begin adding stock, 1 ladle at a time, stirring until combined before adding more
- When most of the stock is absorbed and rice is almost cooked through, add asparagus and mushrooms
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of fresh minced thyme
- Add more stock if needed and cook until rice is done and asparagus and mushrooms are cooked tender
- Finish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste
Sharing our culinary adventures in Cascadia with simple, sustainable & satisfying eats. Bon Appétit!
