Leek and mushroom risotto
VEGETARIAN, GLUTEN FREE / SERVES: 4
DIRECTIONS
Takes about an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large cast iron pan, sauté the shiitake mushrooms in a splash of olive oil for a few minutes to get the pan nice and hot. Then put in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes.
To make cooking time faster, warm the broth in a small pot.
In a large pot, sauté the leeks in a splash of olive oil until soft. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant. Then add in the dry risotto, stirring frequently until it starts to turn golden brown.
Add warm broth to risotto in small amounts, stirring frequently (no need to cover the pot). Wait until all of the broth is absorbed before adding more. Do this in increments until the risotto is soft, about 30 minutes.
Once risotto is soft, stir in frozen peas and top with the roasted shiitakes and leftover leeks. Optional: add several drops of truffle oil.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c risotto
4 c vegetable broth
2 c peas, frozen
1 c grated parmesan
olive oil
salt + pepper
optional: several drops of truffle oil
PREP THE VEGGIES
Stem and thinly slice the shiitakes. If you are serving this as the main course, go heavy on the shiitakes. They loose a lot of volume when roasted plus they are delicious. For the leeks, I like to set aside the greenest ribbons to top the risotto at the end.
ROAST THE SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
In a cast iron skillet, sauté the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes to get the pan nice and hot. Then roast the mushrooms in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I like my shiitakes nice and crispy but check yours every so often to get the consistency you like.
SAUTÉ THE LEEKS AND RISOTTO
I admit, I used butter and a lot more than 2 tablespoons of it. I like my risotto nice and rich! Once the leeks have softened and the garlic is fragrant, add in the dry risotto. Stir frequently and don’t start adding the broth until the risotto starts to become golden. Then add the broth is small amounts, waiting until all of the water is absorbed before adding more. It’s also best to warm your broth in a small pot so you don’t slow down the cooking time of the risotto.
Once your risotto is soft, stir in frozen peas (they will warm up in no time) along with the grated parmesan. Top with shiitakes and the leeks you set aside. If you’re really fancy, you can add in several drops of truffle oil.
SERVE IN A GORGEOUS BOWL
This bowl was a wedding gift, which means it’s survived 11 years, 7 moves, and several rounds of “getting rid of everything”. It’s from Mainely Pottery and I absolutely love it. While I really don’t like to use a lot of dishes, somehow dinner tastes better in this bowl. When I’m serving something hot, I like to fill it with hot water ahead of time to get the bowl nice and warm and in turn, keep dinner warm longer. Similarly I store it in the fridge for a while before serving a salad on a hot summer night.
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