Mushroom Asparagus Risotto

By so this brunette walks into a kitchen... • April 9, 2011 • 4 Comments

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Author Notes: Inspired by my favorite dish at Da Gennaro in Little Italy NYC. Made with my favorite wine, Reisling, this risotto is full of unique flavor. - so this brunette walks into a kitchen... - so this brunette walks into a kitchen...

Food52 Review: This is a nice sturdy, risotto. It's simple but full of earthy spring flavors. The Reisling adds a lovely, unique blend of fruit and mineral flavors that play around the edges of the dish (I used a dry Reisling as I figured it's mineral and petrol notes would complement the mushrooms better than a sweet Reisling). One thing I would change on making it again would be to wait to add the asparagus until the last ladleful of wine, to keep it from overcooking. I sauteed the extra mushrooms and asparagus I had with a little thyme and served them on the side for sprinkling on top, which added a nice textural contrast and burst of freshness. This is a very satisfying dish with both the lightness and heartiness you crave in early spring (at least up north!). - fiveandspice - fiveandspice

Serves 8

½ cups olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
½ bunches asparagus, tough ends snapped off, cut at an angle into 1 inch pieces
2 cups mushrooms of your choice (I bought a combination of shitake, baby bella, and others)
2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
1 cup Reisling wine (the one you would serve with dinner)
4 cups organic, fat free, low sodium broth (either vegetable or chicken)
2 cups water
sea salt and pepper
1 cup pecorino romano or parmesan cheese

Heat broth with water in a small pan, bring to a simmer
Using a heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter into olive oil.
Add mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and garlic, and rice to toast. Stir to coat with oil and butter. Sauté another 5 minutes, stirring to make sure garlic does not burn.
Add the wine and cook another 2 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper.
Add 2 ladle fulls of the broth and water mixture. Stir in liquid over low heat, simmering to let rice cook without becoming overdone and mushy. When mixture seems a bit dry, add another 2 ladle fulls of liquid. Repeat this process until rice is cooked through but still al dente. Cooking will take about 30 minutes. Rice should be creamy and not dry.
Remove the pan from heat and add the cheese. Serve piping hot with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of parsley, and extra cheese.