Chef Paul: It’s Cold Outside!
January 26 2011
We’re experiencing a cold snap here in Halifax right now…it’s brutally cold.
When the thermometer goes this low I like to cook hearty, stick-to-your-bones kind of meals like stews and risottos. Tonight for diner I’ve planned a mushroom risotto to go along with some pork tenderloin. Many people are intimidated by risotto and therefore never make it. While they are time consuming, risottos are not all that difficult to make.
I always start by sweating off some finely chopped onions and then adding the rice and toasting it until the grains begin to change colour. Then, I add wine, either red or white depending on what else I’m putting in the risotto. Once the wine has been absorbed by the rice, I begin to slowly add the stock one ladle at a time (either chicken or beef, again depending on the other ingredients).
Now you stir…and stir…and stir continuously adding stock until it is absorbed by the rice.
A good risotto takes time, usually about 25 to 30 minutes. There are no shortcuts. The liquid has to be slowly absorbed by the rice in order to get that wonderful creamy consistency.
Once your rice is almost cooked you can begin adding your other ingredients like mushrooms, parmesan, squash, asparagus, etc. If you add your ingredients too soon, you’ll slow down the cooking process.
For most people, the hard part is knowing when the rice is done or almost done. The only way to tell is by tasting it. The rice should be soft but not mushy; it should retain it’s firmness without being crunchy. I’ve added quite a few risotto recipes to the MealEasy site, all with simple to follow instructions that I know will easy your trepidation towards risotto…give it a try. Once you’ve made one of these risotto recipes, you’ll no longer be intimidated.
Risotto with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms 
Servings: x4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Cuisine Type: Italian, North American
To freeze extra portions for future use, increase the number of servings by clicking on “Edit Meal” in “Meal Options”.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups chicken broth, canned, low sodium
- 3 cups water
- 1 lb asparagus, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1/2″ long pieces (~3 1/3 cups)
- 1 onion, yellow, finely chopped (~2/3 cup)
- 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 1 1/2 cups rice, arborio
- 1/2 cup wine, white dry
- 8 oz mushroom, shiitake, stemmed and sliced thin (~12 2/3)
- 1 cup tomatoes, sun-dried, in oil, drained, chopped
- 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
- 2 tbsp cream, heavy (35%)
- 1/4 cup cheese, Parmesan, low sodium, finely grated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt, kosher
- 1 tsp pepper, black freshly ground
Instructions:
1. Cooking
1. Bring broth and water to a boil in a pot.
2. Add asparagus and cook for 3 minutes, until just soft.
3. Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry.
4. Keep broth at a simmer.
5. Cook onion in 1/4 cup butter in saucepan over medium low heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
6. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
7. Add wine, increase heat to medium high and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute.
8. Ladle in 1 cup simmering broth and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes.
9. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 4 oz at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is just tender and looks creamy, about 18 minutes.
10. Add the slice mushrooms, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, heavy cream and asparagus to the rice.
11. Simmer for 2 minutes.
12. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
