Mushroom Risotto (The Cow Version)
Ingredients
5-6 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1⁄2 cup shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
16 ounces assorted mushrooms, thinly sliced (I’m a weirdo who prefers normal domestic button mushrooms, so I used 16 ounces of those)
2 cups Arborio rice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup red wine
1⁄2 cup half and half
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low to keep hot. (The quick and dirty method is to put the stock into a microwave safe container and just nuke it till hot. I’ve never had a problem with the microwave method although I’m sure it makes traditionalists cringe!)
2. In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until wilted and their liquid is evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are opaque, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the thyme. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until nearly all evaporated. Add 3⁄4 cup of the stock and cook, stirring frequently, until the stock is nearly all evaporated. Continue adding more stock 1⁄2 cup at a time as the previous addition is nearly absorbed, until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, 18 to 20 minutes.
4. Stir in half-and-half, 1⁄2 cup of the cheese, and the parsley and mix well.
5. Remove from the heat and add remaining cheese and prosciutto. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Option: For The Chicken Version, switch the beef broth with chicken broth and the red wine with white wine.
Comments
I have no idea where I originally found this recipe, it has been in my “Try at Some Point” folder for years now. I was looking for something easy to serve with grilled Filet Mignon and this reached out and grabbed me. It’s a bit of an odd risotto recipe since it calls for cream/half-and-half, normally risotto just relies on the starch of the rice for its creaminess. I was thrilled with how this turned out, though. The flavor was great and the red wine and beef broth made it pair very well with steak.
Do be sure to add any salt at the end because the prosciutto and the parmesan can really increase the saltiness of the dish and if you salt prior to those you might end up with a risotto that’s entirely too salty to enjoy.
Shown here with filet mignon steaks that were grilled about 5 minutes per side on a 700*F grill. That turned out to be a bit too long, so we’re going to try 4 minutes a side next time!
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