Today is the day – garlic fest! I’m excited to see what other garlic dishes make an appearance at dinner tonight, particularly for dessert. I’m sure it will be delicious, or, at the very least, an interesting experience.
The second entrée we are making is a vegetarian, dairy-free, naturally gluten-free risotto. Sounds delicious when I put it that way, doesn’t it? Well fret-not; this is a flavor-packed delight.
We continue with the roasted garlic theme, and are adding baby portobello mushrooms for body, color, and completeness as an entree. And again, more wine.
The wine I am using is a new one to me. The woman I talked with at the liquor store recommended the Vendange Chardonnay. She said it was great for cooking and tasted good, too. But, what sold me was the $1.99 sale price and the fact that it’s available in a resealable 2 glass-full Tetra-Pak container so I can use a bit and easily store it in the fridge until I cook again. I couldn’t really pass up trying it.
As far as making risotto goes, it is pretty straightforward. There are a couple of tricks, though, that seem to make a difference in how the rice cooks.
- Warm your liquids (wine, water, broth) before adding them to the sauteed rice; using cold liquid can shock the rice and prevent it from cooking properly.
- Do not let the rice dry out (i.e., do not let all liquid absorb before adding more liquid to the mix); if the grains get too dry they will flake.
Other than that, bon appétit!
Roasted Garlic Risotto with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 whole garlic heads
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup finely onion, chopped
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 cups baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain white rice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup water (plus more as needed)
- 1 Tbsp ghee or olive oil
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Instructions
- Roast garlic heads. See a video demonstration of how to prepare roasted garlic on About.com.
- Warm wine in one pot. Warm broth and water together in another. Keep both warm over low heat until ready to use.
- While liquids are warming, sauté chopped onion in olive oil until almost browned. Add in mushrooms and rosemary and sauté for 2 minutes longer. Remove onions and mushrooms from pan, leaving drippings behind.
- Sauté rice in remaining oil for 5 or 6 minutes, or until translucent. Stir frequently to ensure that rice is cooked evenly.
- Add garlic to rice and stir for one more minute. Add onion, mushrooms and warmed white wine and continue stirring.
- Once the wine has evaporated completely, add a ½ cup of warm broth; stir in the next ½ cup before all of the liquid is absorbed. It should take about 30 minutes for all liquid to absorb and rice to be done. Cook to your preference, whether soft or al dente.
- Stir in ghee and egg yolks. Add salt and pepper and stir. Serve immediately.