Wild Mushroom Risotto with Gorgonzola Cheese

I love risotto and yes, it does seem like a weird choice for Atlanta in the summertime. Lemme tell you why. What I have found about Atlanta, is that food spoils very quickly here, even in the fridge. I had planned to cook a veal chop but when I took it out of the fridge after only 2 and a half days it had a suspicious slime. When I brought it up to room temp it had an even more suspicious smell. Thus I opted for risotto.

Risotto starts with a fat round short-grained rice. I use Arborio. It has a high starch content and its short length keeps it from falling apart as you stir it, and stir it you will. The key to risotto is adding hot stock. You’ll need to keep it hot in another saucepan as you cook the rice. It's also very important to coat the risotto with oil and or butter before adding the liquids. Don't skip that step.

Risotto is also very versatile as you can add any vegetable (within reason) or seafood that you like. For this one I’m using morel mushrooms and gorgonzola cheese. The tanginess of the cheese mixes well with the earthy mushrooms and rich creamy risotto. Hungry yet?

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup fresh morel mushrooms, chopped
½ cup Arborio rice
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
about 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup romano cheese, crumbled
¼ cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

You can also use dried wild mushrooms for this recipe, when I do, I like to rehydrate them in the stock I use to make the risotto as it permeates the mushroom flavor throughout the dish.

First thing you have to do is wash the morels very thoroughly. Put your little mushroom brush away and wash them under cold running water. All those little nooks and crannies are a haven for dirt and insects.

Next thing you need to do is put the stock on to heat. The stock has to be kept at a low simmer throughout the cooking process or your risotto just won’t work.

Now heat 1 Tbsp of butter and add shallots and mushrooms. Saute until shallots are soft. At this point I remove the shallots and mushrooms from the pan since I don’t like my mushrooms to get too soft. We’ll add them back later about halfway through.

Add the rest of the butter and the olive oil to the pan, heating until the butter is melted. Add the rice and toss to coat. Cook for a few minutes until rice is completely coated with the fat and starts to slightly color. Add the wine and stir until absorbed.

Add stock a ladle at a time, stirring until each addition is almost absorbed. The stirring is important because it brings out the starch from the rice, which is what makes it creamy in the end. You also want to add the stock in small increments, which also helps it get smooth and creamy.

Add the mushroom mixture back into the risotto and stir, stir, stir. Continue to add stock a ladle at a time. The best way to determine when it is done is by tasting. You may need to add more or less stock than I call for here but typically figure on a ratio of 1 part rice to 4 parts liquid (including the wine)

When the rice is tender and thick and creamy, add the cheeses and stir until melted and incorporated evenly into the risotto. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. It’s important to note that I don’t add salt until the end in this dish since the constant reduction of stock would intensify the salt flavor making it easy to over salt. Plate the risotto, top with a few snipped chives and serve immediately.

Some risotto recipes will call for the addition of cream or half & half at the end to finish. I have done this in the past as well but truly if you give the dish the time and care it wants it is amply creamy on its own.

Probably not the best dish for a hot summer day, since you are standing over a hot stove for 30 minutes but at least you haven’t heated up the oven. Try this with your favorite vegetables, cooking the separately and adding them at the end – asparagus and fresh peas are two of my favorite combos, shrimp and crab work well too. You can also serve this as a side or a main. I had this as a main and for that it would serve 4 with a nice crispy green salad as a side.