I love mushrooms. I mean, *love* them. When Andy and I were on our honeymoon in Sonoma Valley, we had a meal that I’ll never forget (though I’ve forgotten the name of the restaurant of course). It was very small, and very elegant, and I seem to remember it being inside of what used to be a train. Or maybe there was a train photograph or train was in the name of the restaurant…anyway this place was divine. It was April (very rainy) and mushrooms were truly in abundance. Mushrooms like I’d never seen before–small, large, gnarled, button-shaped, chewy, delicate–delicious. I got a wild mushroom quinoa ragout that was to die for. It literally melted on my tongue, I remember, like velvet. And I think this is when I really started to take white wines seriously too. My dear Uncle Chris never understood how people could just write off white wine–as if the whole genre was worthless. Like I said, I was just beginning to see what he meant at this meal when a gorgeous chardonnay was served with this ragout. Did I say velvet? Mmm.
Anyway, I’m not recreating this ragout, but I did come close to perfecting that velvet taste recently when I made a Risotto Smothered Mushroom Dinner. The key to great risotto is to use 4 parts liquid to 1 part rice and to add it one part at a time.
Part One:
4 portabellos mushrooms
drizzle with balsamic and olive oil
coat with salt and pepper
fold into aluminum foil and place in oven at 425 for 25-30 minutes
Part Two
1 1/5 cups of arborio rice
3 cups veggie broth
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup white wine
5-8 button mushrooms
1 videlia onion
Saute the onion in olive oil until translucent, then add the diced mushrooms sauteeing until browned. Add rice and wine and saute, stirring constantly. Add water and stir until it gets absorbed or starts sticking. Do the same with 1/2 of the broth. Repeat with the other 1/2 of the broth. You’ll want to hurry along with this but don’t. Really only add 1 1/2 cups of liquid at a time and wait for it to be absorbed into the rice. I like to add a can of peas at this point too just because I think creamy rice and peas go together like…creamy rice and peas!
Take the portabello mushrooms out of the oven and place on plates. Spoon the risotto onto the mushroom caps. At this point some people might like to add a little lemon zest and grated parmigiano cheese. If you have green beans or asparagus in season where you are, it is really nice to steam some up and place on top of the rice in crisscross fashion.
Now open some chardonnay (pinot grigio is too wimpy for this) and let this meal melt away like velvet on your tongue.
