Risotto ala Michelle

Today I'm giving away a recently tweaked recipe of mine.  We had a very"adult" dinner about a month ago.  Yuri and I brought Corn & Hamburger Penne Casserole and Green Tea Panna Cotta to our friend Eric's place.  They prepared Mushroom Risotto and Roast Chicken and even brought out a bottle of red wine.    Afterwards, we then dropped the "adult" act and played Guitar Hero. Teehee.  Anyway, my friend Rinah's risotto was delicious!  So I got inspired and made my own at home.

So guess what, I'll be sharing the recipe here.  My poor man's risotto. Hehe.  Everyone should be able to enjoy and cook risotto without denting their pockets (too much).  So here you go.  This'll be the talk of your next dinner party for sure.

I cooked this the first time I invited my family over to our house for lunch.  Since I only thought about making risotto while doing  the grocery the night before the lunch,  I has to substitute the usual expensive ingredients (like Arborio, Portabello, Sea Salt, etc.) with the more affordable alternatives.  I wanted to provide generous helpings to my guests instead of cooking a measly amount since I had a budget to work with. 

What you'll need:

• 6 C chicken broth (you can make it the traditional way or if you're strapped for time you can cheat and just dissolve six chicken broth cubes in six cups of water)
• 3 T olive oil, divided
• 450 g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 100 g shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)
• 2 medium-sized shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 C Thai Jasmine Rice
• 1/2 C Dry White Wine
• Salt to taste
• Black Pepper to taste
• 3 T finely chopped chives
• A sprig of fresh Oregano (use twice as much if you're using dried oregano)
• A sprig of Thyme (again you may use the dried one too)
• 4 T butter (Not compound butter or margarine.  Please use real thing.)
• 1/4 C Parmesan Cheese

How to go about it:

1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.  Once it starts simmering, switch your stove to the lowest setting and cover it to prevent it from evaporating.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to your non-stick skillet, still on medium-high heat and stir in the shallots.   Cook 1 minute or until shallots have been properly sweated out and are translucent. Add the Thai Jasmine rice, stirring to coat with oil, for about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, oregano, thyme, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

A few more tips:

The broth should be kept on low heat throughout the whole cooking process.  Keep the lid on to prevent the broth from evaporating.

A non-stick skillet would be the easier option especially if this is gonna be your first try.  Any other kind of pan would require a whole lot more of muscle power when it comes to stirring.

Mind your temperature!  If it's too low you could be cooking and stirring all day; too high and you run the risk of drying up your rice and ruining your dish.

Cooking risotto is never easy.  Think of it as exercise.  I use both arms alternately to get a proper workout.   Might as well.  Or you could get someone to sub for you when you get tired but you'd be cheating.  I think the charm of risotto, aside for the creamy flavor and texture, comes from the thought that a lot of love was put into the dish to make it taste that way.  It's labor intensive but it's really worth it! :)

Best served hot. :)