This weekend at the Red Stick Farmers Market, vendor Westdome Nursery had fresh oyster mushrooms to go along with its usual supply of tender microgreens. Mushrooms are an intermittent find at our market, so I never miss the opportunity to snap them up when they appear. And to me, the one dish they really scream for is risotto.
Granted, it’s probably easier to pull off a good risotto on a weekend rather than a weeknight, but this dish is not at all hard to make. It’s also a great seasonal fit for our current variable weather because you can incorporate winter or emerging spring veggies. The other nice thing about it is that its basic ingredients—onion, wine, stock, Arborio rice and good Parmesan cheese—are either shelf stable or last a while in the fridge. Having these items around means you’ve always got a risotto template in the making.
So, for my risotto this weekend, I incorporated the Westdome wild mushrooms, grilled chicken from the night before, fresh green beans cut into small pieces, fresh thyme and rosemary. Chicken stock and good Parm tied it all together. I topped it with some of Westdome’s slightly spicy radish microgreens for a fresh kick. It was homey and comforting and perfect with a green salad and glass of albariño.
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Here’s how:
Wild mushroom and chicken risotto
Serves 4-6
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2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small-medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup cleaned and sliced fresh wild mushrooms
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup cooked chicken
½ cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces, or ½ cup thawed or fresh peas
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
Fresh herbs or microgreens for garnish
In a skillet with rounded sides or a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms, and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add the rice and sauté in the hot pan for about 3 minutes, allowing the grains to heat evenly and become slightly nutty in flavor. Add the stock about a ½ cup at a time, stirring continuously so the liquid absorbs. Do not cover. Add the thyme and rosemary and more stock, until the rice gradually becomes tender. This will take about 25 minutes. Toward the end of the cooking process, when you’ve used about 3 cups of stock, add the green beans or peas, the chicken and ½ cup of Parmesan. Continue to stir about 10 more minutes, tasting along the way. Add the remainder of the stock and Parmesan. Serve immediately by plating in shallow bowls and topping with fresh herbs or microgreens.
Maggie Heyn Richardson is a regular 225 contributor and the author of Hungry for Louisiana, An Omnivore’s Journey. Reach her at hungryforlouisiana.com.