Napa Farmhouse 1885™: Easy Mushroom-Chile Risotto

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Easy Mushroom-Chile Risotto

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? It honestly feels like it is still late September. So this is the perfect time for Food Network's Favorite Thanksgiving Side roundup. I am looking forward to trying all the recipes from my fellow bloggers and the FN chefs. This is my sixth year of blogging so six different times I have shared my favorite Thanksgiving recipes. In 2008 I asked friends and family to contribute posts with their favorite meals, family dishes and traditions and we had almost a post a day. In 2009 it was roasted brussels sprouts. Thanksgiving 2010 looked like this:

our 2010 thanksgiving menu
*roast turkey with herb rub and shiitake mushroom gravy
*cornbread stuffing with andouille, fennel & bell peppers
(bon appetit, nov 2010 page 113)
*smashed potatoes with roasted garlic
*roasted sweet potato fries
*roasted brussels sprouts with garlic & balsamic
*harvest chutney
*pumpkin pie with brown sugar-walnut topping

Thanksgiving 2011 focused on desserts and I made a caramel apple pie that received rave reviews. It now has a permanent home on our T-day menu. Last year I introduced chorizo, cornbread & tortilla dressing and spicy twice baked sweet potatoes to amp up the flavor. Honestly. it is now hard to pare down the choices. I happen to love all these dishes but. c'mon, you can go overboard!

This year I decided to offer something completely different...and a perfect choice for vegetarians used to just eating the side dishes. This Mushroom-Chile Risotto is chock full of portobello, shiitake and crimini mushrooms made spicy with New Mexican red chile powder and, because I like the taste and health benefits, I used sprouted brown rice. You can use whatever type of rice you like, just adjust the cooking time accordingly following the directions on the packet.

I call this "Easy" risotto because, unlike a traditional risotto where the stock is slowly stirred into the rice, this version cooks the rice in stock and then adds a sauteed mushroom/wine mixture at the end. Just the technique needed at Thanksgiving where uncomplicated is the word of the day in my home. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Easy Mushroom-Chile Risotto
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium leek, cleaned and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled & minced
2 cups sprouted brown rice
1 tbsp New Mexican red chile powder
4 cups organic vegetable stock, divided
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
4 crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 large portobello mushroom, cleaned and chopped
4 large shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
3 tbsp white wine
1/4 shredded parmigiano-reggiano
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and a pinch of salt and saute for 3 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Add rice and red chile powder and stir to coat with oil. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 40-45 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid has evaporated.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 3 tbsp olive oil and bell pepper and saute for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1 tsp each salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining stock and white wine and cook an additional 5 minutes until liquid has reduced a bit.

Pour the mushroom mixture over the rice and stir to combine. Stir in the parmigiano-reggiano and parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately.

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