Easy weeknight mushroom-red wine risotto

One-Pot Weeknight Mushroom Risotto

• ½ oz to 1oz dried mixed wild or porcini mushrooms
• 1 cup hot water
• 3 tbs butter
• 1 small or ½ large yellow onion, minced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ to 1 lbs crimini, portabello, white or shitake mushrooms, washed, dried, and sliced or quartered
• 2 cups arborio rice
• ½ cup dry red wine
• 2½ to 3 cups beef or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp thyme (optional)
• salt
• 3 oz pecorino romano cheese
• Large soup pot or dutch oven with lid, 2-3qt pot, cheese shaver.

Soak the wild or porcini mushrooms in 1 cup warm water. Put the stock in the smaller pot to heat.

When the dried mushrooms are soft, strain them out of the water (reserving it) and mince them.

Melt the butter in the large pot. When it is foaming, add the minced onion and fry, stirring. After a couple minutes, add the garlic and fry until the onion turns translucent or the garlic starts to brown. Add the minced dried mushrooms.

Add the rice and fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, until the rice is coated with butter and hot. Pour in the wine, and stir until it it is about half boiled away.

Add the mushrooms and stir in with the rice for a few minutes. Add the stock (and thyme if using), the mushroom water, and stir the rice thoroughly, then put a lid on the pot and turn the heat to low.

Cook for 15 minutes. At the end of cooking the rice should still be slightly firm, and most but not all of the liquid should be absorbed. Taste for salt content and add salt if necessary (but go light on the salt), and a little more broth if the rice is too dry. Stir up and put the lid back on to sit for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with shaved curls of pecorino romano on top of each serving.

Substitutions: you can make this recipe with most kinds of mushrooms; only oyster mushrooms are really unsuitable. If you don't have dried mushrooms, try using 3½ to 4 cups of mushroom broth or stock instead.  Carnaroli rice works as well as arborio, and paella rice (bomba or valencia) work pretty well too.  Do not substitute long-grain or brown rice.

Variations: For extra deliciousness, roast the mushrooms in a 400F oven for 15 minutes and add them towards the end of cooking the rice. In this case, you will need another ½ cup of stock.