Wild Mushroom Risotto

The 40 minutes of constant stirring over the stove are always well worth it when you taste the resulting risotto. Wild Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods, being so earthy, with their depth of flavor, and power to infuse other foods.

Risotto is best stirred with a wooden, paddle style spoon.

Ingredients

1/2 Onion, diced
Dried Porcini Mushrooms, reconstituted in a hot sherry/water mixture (Drain and Chop Porcini and Reserve liquid for risotto)
Shiitake Mushrooms, diced. (I used about 8 ounces.)
Butter
Olive Oil
2 Cups Rice (Short-Grain Arborio works best. I use whatever i have on hand. It always comes out good.)
1 Quart Good-Quality Chicken Stock.
Salt
Pepper


In large saucepan, melt 1 teaspoon each of butter and olive oil. Add onions and saute on medium until translucent. Add diced Shiitake and add more olive oil if necessary to saute until par-cooked. Add 2 cups of rice, drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat. Saute over medium heat 3-4 minutes, toasting the rice lightly, until mixture dries out. Add Porcini and stir.
Add reserved porcini liquid, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon or paddle. (Be cautions: Liquid will bubble, boil, and steam.) Continue stirring until most liquid is absorbed. In small batches, add Chicken Stock (1/2 Cup at a time. Ish.) Keep stirring the entire time, adding more Stock as the liquid is absorbed. You will do this for at least 25 minutes. At that point, taste the rice for done-ness and add salt and pepper to season to taste. (The rice will probably still be too al-dente.)
If the rice is still al-dente, add more of the stock, stirring, stirring, stirring *It's a great workout* until the rice is the consistency you'd like.

I prefer mine still a LIIIIITLE firm, but not crunchy. The liquid starts to "creamify" as time goes on, making a "sticky" texture that is the key of Risotto.

When the Risotto is the texture you'd like, remove from heat source.

You can finish with fresh, chopped parsley, if you like. It compliments the risotto quite nicely.