Decorating a kleenex box with pretty paper and hearts, hoping it catches a card from the boy of my dreams; the secret wish of a little girl. Nothing much has changed… xo

WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO
Serves 4 – 6

2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup butter
1½ cup arborio rice
12 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 ounces dried wild mushrooms
4 ½ cups chicken or beef stock
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup grated Reggiano – Parmigiano
½ cup pistachios, toasted and chopped
Fresh flat Italian parsley, garnish

THE STEPS:

• In a medium sauce pan, heat the stock and the wine to the boiling point then reduce the heat but keep it hot.
• In a medium bowl, place 2½ cups of the hot stock over the dried mushrooms and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

• Place a large skillet or risotto dish over medium high heat.
• Add olive oil, butter and heat until butter is bubbling.
• Add shallot and sauté until opaque.

• Add fresh mushrooms, increase heat and sauté until nicely browned.

• Reduce heat back to medium; add garlic and sauté 1 minute.

• Add rice to hot onion mixture and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add hot stock in ¼ cup measures [ including wild mushroom mixture], until all of the stock is incorporated – stir constantly.

• When you add the wild mushroom mixture, be careful not to pour any grit that has settled to the bottom of the bowl…
• Remove risotto from heat and stir in grated cheese.
• Garnish with pistachios and Italian parsley.
• Serve immediately.

THE LOVE: To test whether your risotto is ‘al dente’, bite a kernel of rice. It should be cooked all the way through with no crunch. Keep in mind that the rice continues to absorb the stock even after you’ve removed it from the heat so serve it quickly!

Thanks for reading.

photography by michelle