Author Notes
Risotto often gets a bum rap as a tedious dish; leaving people imagining hours of strenuous stirring over a hot stove. Yes, there is some stirring involved, but it's not that bad and it's often my go to dish when I have no idea what else to make for dinner. I always have Arborio rice and chicken stock on hand, and then I just grab whatever else I have lying around: frozen peas, a few stray pieces of asparagus that snuck out when I was cooking the rest of the bunch, or one time I even threw in a leftover can of pumpkin lingering in my cupboard from Thanksgiving (it actually turned out great).
This rendition started out the same way. I had some beautiful shitakes, I added some lemon and thyme and then threw an egg on top for protein and to convince my boyfriend that it was a substantial enough dish to count as a balanced meal and not just a side dish.
I think it's great with any type of mushroom: shitakes, cremini, black trumpet and I haven't tried it yet, but it would be wonderful with maitakes. —roseinparis
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Ingredients
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4 cups
chicken broth
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3 teaspoons
olive oil, divided
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3 teaspoons
butter, divided
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2
shallots, minced, divided
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1 cup
Arborio rice
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3/4 cup
white wine
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3 cups
mixed wild mushrooms, chopped
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2 tablespoons
fresh thyme, chopped
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salt and pepper
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the zest of one lemon
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1/2 cup
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, plus additional for garnish
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4
eggs
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a few sprigs Italian parsley, chopped
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Balsamic vinegar
Directions
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Place the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and put over low heat to warm.
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In a deep frying pan melt 1 tsp of butter with 1 tsp of olive oil on medium heat. Add half of the shallots to the pan and sauté until translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat each grain with the butter and oil, sauté for a few minutes until the rice is pearlized (you will actually see the grains change color). Stir in the white wine and cook until all the wine has evaporated. Then add one ladle-full of warm broth, stirring periodically until the liquid is absorbed, continue this process of adding broth and stirring until the rice is fully cooked. It will take around 25 minutes; you may not need all of the broth.
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Meanwhile, in an oven-safe frying pan melt an additional tsp of butter and olive oil. Add the remaining half of shallots and sauté until translucent. Then add the mushrooms and thyme. The mushrooms will immediately absorb all of the fats and they will seem dry, but continue to cook and they will release their own liquids, keep cooking until mushrooms are al dente and all the released liquids have been reabsorbed and reduced. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
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When the risotto is almost done, turn on the broiler. Wipe out the pan from the mushrooms and heat the remaining teaspoons of butter and olive oil. Season the butter and oil with salt and pepper, then crack four eggs into each quadrant of the pan, sprinkling with additional salt and pepper, cook on the stove for two minutes. Then finish the eggs under the broiler for another minute.
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Stir the mushrooms, lemon zest and Parmigiano into the risotto; taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
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Plate the risotto and top with a fried egg. Sprinkle with Parmigiano, parsley and then drizzle with Balsamic vinegar. Enjoy.
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