Mushroom + Pea Risotto with Side Salad

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Gluten Free
Vegetarian

Why we love it:

COOKING MYTH - Risotto must be constantly stirred and is challenging to make. It’s not true! You can stir just 4 times during the entire process and still have delicious, creamy, satisfying risotto.

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Ingredients

8 cups Vegetable Stock - hot
1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (extra virgin)
1 Onion (small), small dice
¹⁄₂ pound Cremini Mushrooms or button mushrooms, thinly sliced or chopped
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons Kosher Salt.
2 cups Arborio Rice
¹⁄₂ cup White Wine or ¼ cup cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1¹⁄₂ cups Green Peas (1-2 cups) frozen or fresh
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
1 Lemon (zest and juice)
4 cups Spring Mix Salad Greens
2 Green Onions (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. STOCK

Bring the stock to a boil in a small pot. When it’s boiling, reduce to a very gentle simmer.
2. ONION

Finely dice the onion to a small dice. Slice mushrooms. The ideal pot is wide with 4” sides with a flat, open bottom. An enameled dutch oven is a great choice, too. Add the olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté for about 8 minutes until the mushrooms have given up some water and are beginning to brown and soften.
3. ADD RICE

Add the rice and toast, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. You’ll see the edges of the grains turning translucent around a white center. At that time, add the wine or vinegar and stir while it sizzles and bubbles out.

Now add half of the stock, bring to a boil with the rice and stir well for about 1 minute. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to swirl the grains of rice together a bit forcefully to cause friction.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and set a timer for 10 minutes; during this time you don’t have to stir.
4. SALAD

Meanwhile, wash and dry lettuces. Toss with the dressing or oil/vinegar.
5. BACK TO RICE

When the timer is up, add the remaining half of the stock - just about 2 cups. Stir vigorously again for about 1 minute. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Return to the pot and add all but ½ cup of the stock (you can turn off the heat under the stock now so it doesn’t evaporate) and the peas. Stir vigorously again for 1 minute. Taste it. You might want ½ teaspoon of salt at this time and if you like black pepper, add some. If the rice tastes tender but with a little hard center, cook for just 1-2 more minutes uncovered. But if it still seems very crunchy, cook for 5 minutes but cover it this time.
6. SEASON

After this last increment, add the lemon zest and juice into the pot, add the butter (include the porcini butter if you made the first dish this week!), 2/3 of the parmesan cheese. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 2 minutes.
7. PLATING

Lift off the lid and stir in the last ½ cup of stock. Ladle into large flat bowls. Slice green onion or herb and use to garnish. Top evenly with the rest of the parmesan. Serve with the side salad.

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Substitutions

ARBORIO RICE:

carnaroli rice is a little more obscure actually. Or “Cal rose” which is japanese style short grain white rice. It works, but won’t be quite as creamy.
MUSHROOMS:

I don’t mind a brown mushroom risotto, but if you use white button mushrooms the dish will be whiter, which is nice for presentation PEAS - frozen peas are simple, but fresh english peas can’t be topped if you are willing to shuck them. Substitute small broccoli florets, ½” sections of green bean or asparagus, or omit and have just mushroom risotto
DAIRY FREE :

use a drizzle of olive oil at the end to make it creamy and you can omit the parmesan. If you like the cheesy taste, try a dollop of non-dairy soft cheese, or stir in a Tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
STOCK:

it is ideal to use stock since the dish is so simple - chicken or vegetable - depending on your diet. However, if you don’t have enough and are just a few cups short, you can alter the ratio of stock to water as needed.