Virgo is the sign of health, so lots of nice wholesome recipes could be featured here. Virgo also symbolizes the grain goddess. Risotto can be made with different grains, such as bulghur or Quinoa if desired, but for my taste, Risotto rice, which develops a delicious, creamy texture as it cooks, is perfect.
Of course, Risotto can be made with any vegetables that you fancy, but mushrooms are seasonal at this time of the year and they are my personal favorite for this dish. Everybody makes this dish a little bit different. This one is my version:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of risotto rice (Arborio)
- 1 – 1 1/4 liter of vegetable broth or mushroom fond
- 1/4 cup of dry white wine
- knob of butter,
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
- 1 handful of dried mixed mushrooms, sliced
- 250g fresh mushrooms (field mushrooms will do, but if you have other seasonal ones at hand, you can mix them up)
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped
- 1/2 cup of freshly chopped parsley
Method
Crumble up your dried mushrooms (not too small) and place them in a bowl. Cover with boiling water to rehydrate. You can do this a little bit ahead of time, or when you start cooking.
In a large skillet (preferably with a heavy bottom, like cast iron, or cast aluminum), sauté the onions in the butter and the olive oil for 2-3 minutes until soft.
Add the fresh mushrooms and the garlic, sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the wine and allow to evaporate.
Add the rehydrated mushrooms along with the water in which they have been soaked.
Add half the parsley.
Stir in the rice and let it absorb the liquids before adding any more.
Once the liquid has been absorbed start stirring in the broth, little by little, stirring continuously. Allow the liquid to be fully absorbed each time before adding any more broth.
Season with salt, pepper, or chilies as you cook the rice.
A liter of the broth should be enough, but if not, add a bit more broth, or water. In the end, the rice should be creamy, yet still, retain a little bit of bite. Don’t let the last bit of liquid get incorporated completely before serving – the rice will continue to soak up any liquid, and if you serve it too dry it will be very stodgy on the plate.
Sprinkle with the rest of the parsley and serve with a knob of butter and parmesan.
Serves 2-3
