Blended Mushroom Dirty Rice Risotto

I have been promising this side dish (also would be a great main dish) for about a week now...I thought it was about time I actually type it up!!



I came up with this two weeks ago Friday when we had dinner with our dear friend Holly Holsinger. She is on faculty at CSU with Michael and heads the Acting department. She is an amazing actor and professor, and she is also a pescatarian (mostly vegetarian but eats fish). It is because of our dear friends like Holly, that I changed my cooking philosophy a few years back. Growing up in the South and learning to cook with a Southern sensibility, I was always taught that no vegetable was complete with bacon...or ham hocks...or chicken stock. This meant that when we had guests who were vegetarian I had to either eliminate the meat in the side dishes or create completely new dishes. It stretched me as a cook and foodie and while I love bacon, and I truly do, I've found that fresh vegetables and herbs with proper seasoning and care just don't need it.



For Holly's dinner, we had this side dish, Mushroom Dirty Rice Risotto, with blackened catfish and the okra and tomatoes from a couple of blogs ago. This recipe takes some time, but is well worth the effort. Once you've gotten the knack of a basic risotto you can add any number of ingredients to compliment your meal.



MUSHROOM DIRTY RICE RISOTTO

• 2 T olive oil


• 1 cup rice (I use inexpensive Carilla parboiled long grain rice, but you can certainly us something more exotic like Arborio. Arborio is what is traditionally used in risottos and is a small pearl shaped rice.)


• 4 cups (or one large container) vegetable stock, brought to a simmer


• 1 small onion, diced


• 3-4 cloves garlic, diced


• 16 oz of various mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into even pieces (I buy a "Gourmet Blend" that's pre-packaged in the vegetable section of the market. You can use absolutely any kind of mushroom. The prepackaged also come sliced and chopped up so they're ready to go.)


• 1/3 cup finely chopped olives (Again, any olives you choose. I used manzanita pitted olives stuffed with pimiento, quick chopped with the brine in a small food processor.)


• 2 T butter, plus more for browning mushrooms


• 1/2 cup milk


• coarse salt, to taste


• cayenne pepper, to taste

*I use a heavy cast iron skillet to make the risotto. It distributes heat evenly and you can use just one pan for the entire recipe.

Heat olive oil with about 1/2 T butter in skillet. Brown mushrooms in batches and drain on paper towels. To get a really great carmelized color on the mushrooms, don't crowd the pan. Set mushrooms aside.

Bring another 1-2 T olive oil up to medium-low heat and melt 1 T of butter into the skillet. Use both for two reasons: the olive oil will keep your butter from burning and turning brown, and it adds less fat while still giving you the flavor of the butter. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook until you start to get a slight color. Add rice and olives and mix well. Season with cayenne, to taste. BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT ADDING ANY SALT: if you're using a boxed vegetarian stock, they tend to be a little on the salty side; also, remember that you're adding the olives which should add more than enough salt to flavor the dish.

At this point, you'll start adding the simmering stock. By having it simmering alongside your skillet, you speed up your cooking process. The stock cooks into the rice more readily. Start adding the stock 1/2 cup - 1 cup at a time. More in the beginning will help get things going, but if you add too much at a time, the rice will overcook and start to become mush. Slowly but constantly, stir the rice and stock mixture. The rice will gradually begin to absorb the stock. When you're stock is completely absorbed, or almost, add the next 1/2-1 cup of stock and repeat until all your stock is stirred in. Add the last bit of stock with milk and the remaining 1T of butter. Put the mushrooms on top of the risotto, cover and drop the heat to low.

Just prior to serving, stir the mushrooms into the risotto. If serving as your main dish, top with a little grated parmesan and some chopped herbs. With a loaf of crusty bread this would make a deliciously satisfying late night supper. And as I said before, once you have the basics down, you can make absolutely ANY kind of risotto you like!

May your eats be delicious and your dining divine!

Ashley