Shiitake Mushroom, Pumpkin & Rosemary Risotto
Cookbook
20-Minute Italian: Your Traditional Favorites, Faster, Easier and with a Modern Twist
Published by Page Street Publishing Co.
In Northern Italy, risotto is considered a simple, everyday comfort food. For me, it’s something to prepare mostly on special occasions, or for a cozy dinner date with my better half. Among all the risotto recipes I’ve made over the years, this is probably my favorite. When pumpkin and mushroom season finally hits, I make this risotto on repeat! Any kind of mushrooms will work here; I like to use fresh shiitake mushrooms because they can be found easily at the market and vaguely remind me of delicious, hard-to-find, expensive Italian porcini mushrooms. A mix of wild and porcini mushrooms would work well too.
Serves4
Ingredients
- 4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 5 ounces (150 g) shiitake or wild mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 5 ounces (150 g) muscat or Hokkaido pumpkin flesh, finely cubed
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 10 1/2 ounces (300 g) vialone nano or carnaroli rice
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) good-quality white wine
- 3 tablespoons (15 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) good-quality butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
Instructions
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Place the stock in a small pot, and keep it warm over a gentle heat.
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Heat a small pan with the extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, mushrooms and pumpkin and sauté gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
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In the meantime, heat a large pan over low heat. Add the rice and toast it for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it has turned translucent, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon to avoid burning it. Add the wine, turn up the heat to medium-high and allow it to evaporate. Return the heat to medium-low, then pour in one ladle of stock, and allow the rice to absorb it. Season with salt to taste.
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Stir the sautéed vegetables into the pan with the risotto, and continue to cook, gradually adding in stock and whisking constantly with a whisk until the rice is soft but still has a bite, about 15 minutes.
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Remove the risotto from the heat, add in the Parmesan cheese, butter and rosemary, then shake the pan vigorously to combine all the ingredients. The risotto should reach a smooth consistency.
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Divide the risotto among plates, and serve it immediately.
Tip: I like this risotto less creamy than the classic risotto, but if you want it super gooey and rich, add an extra pat or two of butter. If you have a hard time finding muscat pumpkin, substitute with Hokkaido pumpkin.
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Reprinted with permission from 20-Minute Italian by Andrea Soranidis, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019.
