Mushroom Risotto

This is one of my favorite recipes, adapted from my Italian grandmother's tomato risotto because I LOVE mushrooms.

4T salted butter
2T olive oil
10oz portabella mushrooms (1 package baby bellas)*
3.5 oz oyster mushrooms (you can leave these out if you want to save money)
Juice from 1/2 a small lemon
1/2 white onion, diced
2T parsley
4T pesto (see note below)
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine**
4-6 cups chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese
Pre-cooked chopped or shredded chicken can be added at the very end.


*Please remember to wash your mushrooms, as they are often grown in manure.
**I prefer pinot grigio, but really any wine, red or white, will do. Red wine makes for ugly, gray rice though.


First, put the broth in a saucepan on low heat on a back burner of the stove to make sure it is warm by the time you need it. Don't let it boil.

Slice portabellas into thin slices lengthwise. Cut up oyster mushrooms as little as possible, sparing their pretty shape. Melt 2T salted butter in pan - use a skillet if you are planning on cooking in the slow cooker, or a large saucepan if planning on cooking your risotto using the traditional method. While butter is melting, toss mushrooms in a bowl with juice from half of a small lemon, being very careful to avoid accidentally adding lemon seeds. Sauté mushrooms in butter until soft, brown, and releasing their juices. Remove mushrooms and juices to a separate bowl, and toss with parsley and pesto.


At this point I'll let you in on an secret: I'm awful at making pesto, and I find it to be a time-consuming hassle for something that never tastes right anyhow. I tried for years, and I have given up. It doesn't help that I can't seem to keep indoor plants alive, so my attempts to grow basil at home have also failed miserably. So here's my secret: I use Knorr pesto packets in a lot of my recipes.

My ancestors are rolling over in their graves

I'm highly ashamed of this, but it tastes so much better than any pesto I've ever made, and it's cheaper than ready-made pesto in a jar. If you decide to take my easy way out, just dump in the whole pesto packet at this point. Set the bowl of mushrooms and spices aside for now.


In the same pan (don't bother washing it), melt 2T butter with 2T olive oil. Sauté onions until clear and soft, but not brown. Add rice and stir until coated. Add mushroom mixture and stir. Add wine and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated.

At this point, it's time to officially decide if you are going to be lazy or traditional. If you're feeling lazy, dump the contents of the skillet into your slow-cooker, add 4 to 4 1/2 cups broth all at once, put the slow cooker on high and go relax on the couch for the next 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until all the liquid has absorbed (peek at it after one hour to make sure it doesn't burn).


For the traditional cooking method, keep the broth on low heat on the stove in a separate pan throughout cooking. Add broth to rice mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup of broth. I use a large ladle for this part, adding one ladleful at a time. Stir continuously, being careful not to pause for more than a few seconds or it will burn. Continue this until the rice is at your preferred consistency. Depending on the day, it can take more or less than 6 cups of broth. I always buy extra just in case.


When done cooking, stir in cheese while still hot. Many recipes also say to stir in 2T of butter at the end, but I find it just adds unnecessary calories. Today, I added about 2 cups of shredded Cornish game hen that I had frozen from Christmas dinner leftovers. Add salt and pepper to taste.