Cooking From a Box

This is a pretty standard meal at our house because I usually have all the ingredients on hand and the leftovers are pretty good. I don’t stir my risotto constantly, but usually stir for a full minute ever 2 or 3 minutes. When I have extra time I make this with a short grain brown rice, howevery that usually takes well over an hour so it’s not a weeknight dinner option for us.

1 oz Dried Mushrooms, I usually use a mix

1 1/3 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion, diced

1 Portobello Mushroom, diced

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Cup Arborio Rice

1/4 Cup White Wine

1/4 Cup GOOD Port*

Warm Vegetable Broth

1 teaspoon Thyme

2 oz Chevre, broken up into pea size pieces

1 handful of Parsley

Cut the dried mushrooms into small pieces and soak in 4 cups of boiling water while you cut your other vegetables.

Heat oil in large deep saute pan or braisier over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook until you can smell it, usually 30-45 second. Add dried mushrooms, reserving the hot mushroom water.

Add rice and stir until coated in oil, shiny and taking on a translucent quality, about 2 minutes. Add wine and port, cook until the rice starts to dry. Add the mushroom water, 1 cup to 1.5 cups at at time, allowing the rice to absorb all the water before the next addition.

Once the mushroom water is gone continue using broth until the rice looks and feels done. Turn off heat. Add the cheese a few pieces of a time and stir to melt. Toss in the parsley right before service.

Makes 4 dinner size portions.

*You can use 1/2 cup of wine if you don’t have any port.