A couple of years ago Cook’s Illustrated published a recipe for “Almost Hands-Free Risotto”, which involved much less stirring than traditional risotto and claimed to be just as creamy. That sounded good to me, so I decided to try converting their recipe, which uses chicken and chicken broth, into a vegetarian version. My favorite risotto is mushroom risotto so that’s the direction I went with it.
In the original recipe the flavor of the broth is boosted by poaching seared chicken breasts in it before using it to cook the rice. I decided to try the same technique for my version, first browning the mushrooms and then letting them steep in mushroom broth and it worked great. Then I followed the rest of their technique for cooking the risotto and it did indeed turn out creamy and perfectly cooked. It still took more attention than cooking with a toddler usually allows (they did call it “almost” hands-free after all), but it was much easier than other risottos I’ve made. I even have the time to throw together a salad to go with it during the most hands free part of the process.
Another reason I like this risotto is that it makes enough that I almost always end up with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. You can gently reheat it with a little more broth to loosen it up again and eat it as usual, but my favorite way to eat leftover risotto is to make croquettes. Fried and crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside, mushroom risotto croquettes, served alongside a nice salad of bitter greens with a lemon vinaigrette, is wonderful.
Mushroom Risotto
5 cups mushroom broth
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb cremini mushrooms, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 large onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1. Bring broth and water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the chopped mushrooms until they begin to brown.
Then, put the browned mushrooms into the simmering broth, cover, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Before you begin to cook the rice in step two below, use a slotted spoon to scoop the mushrooms out of the broth and transfer to a bowl. Cover the bowl to keep them warm or place them in a warm oven on very low heat until ready to use later.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the now empty Dutch oven.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the now empty Dutch oven.
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Add the onion and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 to 10 minutes.
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Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds, then add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until the grains are translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes.
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3. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir 5 cups of the hot broth into the rice; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until almost all the liquid has been absorbed and rice is just al dente, about 16 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.
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| This is what it looks like right after you add the 5 cups of broth. |
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| This is 6 minutes later, when I checked it to stir the first time. |
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| This is what it looked like 5 minutes after that, when I checked it to stir the second time. |
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| And finally, this is what it looked like another 5 minutes later, after the full 16 minutes was up. |
4. Add ¾ cup hot broth to risotto and stir constantly until it becomes creamy, about 3 minutes.
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| At the begining of the stirring. |
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| After stirring for three minutes. |
5. Stir in the Parmesan. Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.
6. Now stir the mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of butter, the lemon juice, parsley and chives into the risotto.
Season with salt to taste. Add a little more broth if you prefer your risotto looser. Serve!
Risotto Croquettes
Leftover risotto (any kind is fine), chilled
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups fresh bread crumbs
olive oil for frying
1. Form the cold, leftover risotto into small patties (mine were about 2 to 3 tablespoons in size).
2. Dip each patty into the beaten egg and then into the bread crumbs. Set aside till they are all breaded.
3. Fry the patties in the olive oil over medium heat until they are golden brown on each side (you may have to cook them in batches, if there isn’t room in your pan for all of them at once). Serve hot. Delicious!
