These days my cravings have been undeniable. I want big bowl of warm goodness that make me feel like I have my feet on the ground. This earthy and salty risotto is undeniably grounding, comforting, warm, and otherwise perfect.
This is the first time I’ve made risotto on the stovetop. I’ll walk you through my technique and mild panic.
If the stirring is more than you can handle (no judgement, I get it), you can try this Baked Lemon Risotto. One stir and some quality oven time. A dream, really!
And! For sweeter Arborio rice indulgences: Maple Ginger Rice Pudding. In other words, I’m not leaving my house again until I need to go stock up on more rice. Until then, I’ll have the Do Not Disturb sign on my door. Thaaaanks!
Risotto requires a soundtrack. Something smooth and steady. I went with Sarah Vaughan.
We’ll need Cremini mushrooms, a pound, wiped clean and sliced thick. Garlic and onions, butter and olive oil.
Risotto is about building depth of flavor. Soy sauce added to the stock for its earthy salt. Turkey stock because it’s richer and more round that chicken stock. Fresh thyme for brightness and depth. White wine to deglaze the pan. Parmesan for salty creaminess.
Successes.
Mushrooms are cooked down with onions and garlic. Mushrooms hold a lot of liquid so we cook them down, losing some of the liquid and intensifying the flavor of the mushrooms. I also love how browned and tender they get.
I removed the sausage from the casing and cooked and crumbled them until extra browned.
All those toasty browned bits… that’s where the flavor lives!
Next up: rice.
Some cooks might remove the cooked mushroom and sausage from the pan whole they stir and hydrate the rice. Removing the mushroom mixture will make the rice easier to stir but… let’s just throw it all together and see what happens.
Now… if we’ve cooked the mushrooms correctly, the bottom of the pan should be coated in a layer of almost burnt bits. White wine added to the hot pan plus a quick stir and stir and stir will bring up all of those browned bits of flavor.
Now we’re all up in the mix.
Simmering hot turkey stock is ladled into the mushroom, sausage and rice. Stir. Stir. Stare and stirred until the liquid is absorbed.
Repeat until most of the stock has been ladled into and absorbed by the rice. About midway through the stirring I had my doubts. Would the rice really absorb the liquid and soften up just right? I was basically doubting every Italian grandmother who has slaved over a pot of risotto. Turns out… it definitely works. Patience is part of it. Patience and faith.
Creamy from a bit of cheese and the starches of the rice. Earthy with mushrooms. Savory with sausage. Full and hearty with turkey stock. Undeniable in every way. Bowl full. Feet on the ground.
The post Sausage and Mushroom Risotto appeared first on Joy the Baker.