FunGuy Mushroom Risotto Recipe

Risotto is one of those dishes that looms over the home cook like a schoolyard bully. “You can’t make me, I’m real Italian cooking. Only a paisano or an Italian grandma can make me. Don’t even try, you’ll just burn down your kitchen.”

Stand up to that bully and it’ll back down like a frightened kitten and you, the shining underdog, will have a basic risotto recipe you can add just about anything into and deliver an outstanding home cooked, melt-in-your-mouth, authentic Italian meal. Of course, the best way to make risotto is with FunGuy mushrooms!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Risotto is a cinch to make, but it does take a long time so set up your kitchen for a good 40 minutes of standing there. Put on some tunes. Pour a glass of wine. Wear comfortable shoes. Trust us, this couldn’t be easier.
2. Heat the stock in a 2 quart sauce pan until it is very hot, but NOT BOILING. Keep it hot.
3. In your biggest sauté pan, heat a Tablespoon of olive oil then add your FunGuy mushrooms and cook them until they are tender and beautiful and have released their juices. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.
4. Return the pan to the stove. Melt a Tablespoon of butter until it foams. Toss in the shallots until they are transparent. Now pour in the rice.
5. Here is your first big lesson in Risotto science: you are toasting the rice kernels, so your pan has to be hot and you have to keep the kernels moving. If you’re a kitchen badass, you’ll just shimmy and shake that pan, tossing the rice kernels like you’re Gordon Ramsey on a bender. But if you’re not ready for prime time, just keep the kernels moving with a wooden spoon.
6. When the kernels are becoming translucent, and you can smell a nice nutty aroma, pour in the wine.
7. Risotto science lesson #2: throughout the rest of this recipe, you will be stirring constantly, slowly, gently through the rice. You will also be letting liquid absorb into the rice. Watch the rice drink that wine up. As soon as the wine is gone, add one ladle of hot stock. Stir until the liquid is absorbed. Do it again. Do it until you’ve worked through all the stock.
8. As you get to the end of your stock, your rice will begin to release its starches and your Risotto will become sticky and delicious. This is what you’re after. This is why you’re doing everything soooo sloooowly. Those starches are shy and they have to believe you’re their friend before they’ll come out. Be gentle. Be friendly. Stir slowly.
9. Turn down the heat. Return the FunGuy mushrooms to the Risotto and work them in gently. Stir in the remainder of the butter. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Test for seasoning, add salt and pepper if desired.
10. Garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately.

Yay! Risotto! Have a fun meal.

Photo by hozinja.