Mushroom risotto

6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, or water

1 pound fresh mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, oyster, or a combination, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme (from 1/2 small bunch)

1 ounce Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (1/2 cup firmly packed freshly grated or 1/3 cup store-bought grated), plus more for serving

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon salt, divided, plus more as needed

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups carnaroli, arborio, or vialone nano rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• Bring 6 cups low-sodium broth or water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep at a very low simmer.

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat until simmering. Add half the mushrooms in a single layer. Cook undisturbed until browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper and cook, stirring once or twice, until the mushrooms are browned all over and tender, 2 to 3 minutes more.

• Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and repeat cooking the remaining mushrooms with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. About a minute before the mushrooms are ready, add about 3/4 of the thyme (reserve the remaining for garnish) and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to the plate.

• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add 1 finely chopped large shallot and sauté until softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

• Add 1 1/2 cups carnaroli rice, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the edges have turned translucent but the center is still opaque, about 2 minutes. You should also be able to smell the aroma of toasted rice. Add 1/2 cup dry white wine and simmer, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the wine is completely reduced and the pan is almost dry, 1 to 2 minutes.

• Begin incrementally adding the warm broth one ladle at a time, stirring often. Wait until the liquid has been almost completely absorbed by the rice before adding another ladle. After about 15 minutes, begin tasting the rice to gauge how far it has cooked.

• Continue adding broth until the rice is al dente the broth is creamy, 20 to 30 minutes total.

• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the reserved mushrooms, grated Parmesan and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, and stir until the butter is melted. Taste and season with more salt and black pepper as needed.

#mushroomrisotto #mushroomrecipe #easymeals