Spring Onion and Dried Mushoom Risotto
We plant onion seed in August and are usually lucky enough to pull the first spring onions in mid-April, or sometimes even earlier. The rest we let mature into full-bulbed onions that we harvest in the fall. You can probably find spring onions at your local farmer's market, or you can just as easily substitute scallions in this wonderfully creamy side dish.
Ingredients
1.5 cups dried mushrooms. Any variety.
4 cups hot water
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
5 tablespoons butter
1.5 cups Arborio rice
1.5 cups chopped spring onions, include about an inch of green stem.
1/2 cup parmasean cheese, grated.
Place dried mushrooms in medium bowl and pour hot water over them. Allow them to completely soften (about 1/2 hour.) Drain them, but reserve liquid. Strain liquid through paper towel-lined wire sieve. Pour liquid in large stockpot, combine with stock, and bring to boil. Rinse softened mushrooms to remove any sand or dirt particles, and chop roughly.
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high flame in large, heavy saucepan. Stir in white portion of spring onions (reserve green stem bits,) saute for approximately 4 minutes until soft. Add rice and chopped mushrooms. Stir rice until coated with butter and edges appear slightly transparent (about 2 minutes.) Transfer 1 ladle-full of boiling stock/mushroom liquid into rice saucepan. Stir until liquid is completely absorbed. Add two more ladle-fulls of stock mixture to rice. Stir again until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding boiling liquid to rice, and letting it absorb before adding more. When the absorption slows, taste. Rice should be creamy and al dente, not mushy. You may not need all of the stock liquid.
Once risotto has reached the proper texture, remove from heat and stir in cheese, remaining butter, and green slivers of spring onion stems. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with:
Updated Spinach Salad with Honey-Lime and Roasted Eggs
