Spices: Fundamentals Of Cooking
Wild Mushroom Risotto is often thought of as complicated and time-consuming but once you understand the basic fundamentals of cooking risotto it becomes a simple and joyful task.
Risotto is rice that is cooked to a creamy consistency with the addition of liquid, typically chicken stock and white wine. In our wild mushroom risotto recipe, we’ll be using homemade almond milk to bring out the nutty flavor of many of the dried mushrooms found in our forest blend mushrooms.
Our Dried Forest Mushroom Blend is a combination of Bolete, Oyster, Porcini, Shiitake, and our favorite, the Wood Ear mushroom.
We carry a large selection of common and hard to find dried mushrooms, from standard button mushrooms (champignons) to lion’s mane and hens of the woods. Each mushroom has a distinct taste and texture. Our mushroom blends make it easy to sample more than one mushroom at once. Each mushroom has a distinct flavor profile but comes together beautifully with the almond milk and nutty Arborio rice in this recipe.
Almond milk is a flavorful and nutritious alternative to cow’s milk; perfect for those with milk based allergies or simply would like a change from the ordinary. Almond milk is often thought of as a drink to only be ingested straight out of the container or on top of cereal. Unsweetened and even sweetened almond milk can be utilized in many savory and sweet dishes. Simply use in place of the milk or water called for in the recipe. Almond milk will add a nutty flavor and creamy texture to all of your creations.
Risotto is often thought of as complicated and time-consuming but once you understand the basic fundamentals of cooking risotto it becomes a simple and joyful task. Risotto is rice that is cooked to a creamy consistency with the addition of liquid, typically chicken stock and white wine. Cooked over low heat with multiple additions of the liquid until the rice has plumped, released its starches and al dente. Al dente means to the tooth, the rice should be soft but have a bite to it when eaten. If crunchy you have not cooked it enough, if mushy you have cooked it too long, 15-20 minutes seems to produce the most consistent results.
The ultimate Italian comfort food, forest mushroom risotto will become a staple in your dinner rotation!
In a large sauté pan place the butter and diced shallots. Cook until the shallots are translucent and soft. Add the Arborio rice. Stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the rice begins to have a toasted aroma. Add the wine and reduce for 2-3 minutes. Stir. Add the chicken stock, one cup at a time. Allowing the rice to absorb most of the liquid at each addition. Continue adding the chicken stock until you have used it all. Stir frequently. The last addition of liquid is the almond milk. Stir until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Add the salt and peppercorns and stir to combine. The entire process should take 15-20 minutes.
In a separate pan place the mushrooms and butter. Sauté until the mushrooms are soft and cooked through. Add the dried chives and stir to combine.
Distribute over top of the risotto or fold into the rice to combine.