It has been a couple of weeks of very rainy weather in the Bay Area. Some depressing days with the dark clouds in the sky, overcast weather, but then on the flip side, we get to see the beautiful, lush green mountains in the distance, especially from our bedroom window! It has been especially quite cold, temperatures dropping in the 30s in the night, resulting in hail in many parts of the bay, along with snow-capped mountains, making for a very pretty scenic drive! The cold weather calls for warm, hearty foods, to warm your body and sooth your soul. A hearty soup definitely does it, but I love making pasta in this weather, with a rich sauce to go with, and a hearty red, to accompany the meal.
Risotto is one of those hearty dishes that are simple to make, and at the same time provide comfort and a soothing effect at the same time! Risotto is a rice based, pasta dish from Italy, made with a special kind of rice called Arborio rice. The rice is quite starchy, which adds richness and heartiness to the dish. Our farmer’s market has a wonderful booth with organic wild mushrooms like shitake, trumpet, maitake, enoki etc. They are all different varieties of mushrooms, all vary in shapes and sizes and they are so beautiful to look at and photograph! I love how mushrooms make a dish so earthy and flavorful. Leeks are in season too, and they are in abundance at the farmer’s market. They are a milder form of onions, but provide so much flavor to risotto. I decided to make one with these 2 ingredients.
My kids LOVE risotto, especially my daughter! She wants to take it to school as well, as her lunch. If she could, she would take gourmet meals every day in her lunch box! She has a pretty sophisticated palette and it is always fun to see how much she enjoys her food and all the different ingredients. It makes me quite happy. My son is more normal, and would be happy with a grilled cheese in his lunch box or a PBJ sandwich!
Risotto is pretty simple to make. I always prep all ingredients, keep all the veggies such as onions, leeks, and mushrooms cut into pieces. Keep all the ingredients handy, so that you are not scrambling to get them when the recipe calls for it. The vegetable broth should be simmering, and warm at a low flame. When using white wine, make sure that the white wine is drinkable. I love sauteeing the mushrooms separately with fresh thyme, and then adding half to the dish when almost done, and remaining is used as garnish on the top. It makes a very pretty topping, and I love the texture and bite, when eating the risotto. The recipe only takes about half an hour to make, once you have all the ingredients prepped. I love making this on Friday evenings, with some crusty bread, and a good quality pinot to go with it.
Hope you all are staying warm. Make this risotto, that is comforting and soothing for the soul. If you do make it, please do not forget to tag #thejamlab on Instgram and/or leave me a note on this blog post.
Have a wonderful rest of your week!
Cheers,
XO
Amisha
Wild Mushroom and Leek Risotto
Ingredients
- (Serves 4-6)
Risotto:
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 4-5 cups of vegetable broth
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 1 /2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- 2 leek stalks, washed properly, and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
Sauteed Wild Mushrooms:
- 2 cups wild mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
Garnish:
- 1/4-1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
Mushrooms::
- I like to saute mushrooms on the side and not with the risotto, so that I can taste the mushrooms too. In a medium skillet, on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and butter. Add in the garlic and saute for a minute. Now add in the mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and saute occasionally for about 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are slightly browned. Switch off the gas.
Risotto:
- In a large 10-12 skillet, on medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Now sauté the shallot and leeks for about 5 minutes until translucent and reduced and soft.
- Now add in the butter. Once melted, start sautéing the rice, Sauté the rice with the spatula for atleast 5-7 minutes until the rice looks translucent. Once the rice starts looking translucent, add in the white wine, and keep stirring until the wine disappears. Next add in ½ cup of broth at a time, and keep stirring until the water is absorbed by the rice. Repeat the process, until all the broth has been used. This process takes about 15-20 minutes. The rice should be al dente, meaning there should be a slight bite to it when you taste it. It should not be mushy(which means you overcooked it!). Add in the fresh thyme, black pepper and parmesan cheese, and mix well.
To serve:
- In pasta serving bowls, plate the risotto, garnish with the parmesan, thyme, parsley. Top with sautéed mushrooms. Serve with a hearty red or some good white wine and some crusty bread!
Wild mushroom risotto is one of my most favorite comfort foods, Amisha… and well worth the effort, I might add. I SO wish we had markets this time of year… the last one was end of December…. Luckly I can find wild mushrooms at our grocery procured locallyish! Sounds like winter has settled into the bay area… This would definitely brighten my winter. Just gorgeous!
Mushroom risotto is my favorite and I love the addition of leeks too – can’t wait to try this soon!