Brown rice and Mushroom Risotto
Serves four. Ric-ter Scale - 1
For the Risotto:
6 cups cooked short grain sweet brown rice
olive oil
1 tablespoon organic butter
1/2 Spanish onion, minced
1 cup leeks,
sliced in rings (1 medium leek should do)
1/4 cup carrot, diced small
1
clove of garlic, minced
4 ounces brandy
4 large portabello mushrooms,
sliced
1 cup fresh morel mushrooms
1 cup black trumpet mushrooms
1
cup oyster mushrooms, string-roots trimmed and reserved
1 cup crimini
mushrooms, quartered lengthwise
2 tablespoons fresh sage, coarsely
chopped
For the Garnish:
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Sardo or Asiago
(Romano is too sharp)
truffle oil
For the Stock:
olive oil
chopped leek tops
any garlic peels
stems from sage
stems from the
portabellos
trimmings from the oyster mushrooms
1/8 cup dried forest
mushrooms or porcini (a few pieces)
1/4 cup brandy
1 tablespoon sea
salt
a few whole peppercorns
4 cups water
2 cups cream
If you
have your rice pre-cooked, the making of this dish is about timing. Put the
mushrooms in to roast while you make the stock. Getting everything ready in
advance is not a bad idea. You can roast the mushrooms, cook the rice and make
the stock up to three days in advance. Just be sure to store them in the
refrigerator, covered well.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Put the sliced portabello,
crimini and oyster mushrooms in a bowl. Toss them with olive oil, salt and
pepper them well, and put them on a sheet pan. Roast for 10 minutes, or until
they are sizzling and golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let
them cool down while you finish the dish.
Sauté the morels and black trumpets gently in olive
oil and reserve with the roasted mushrooms.
To make the stock, in a heavy pot, sautéé the
mushroom stems and leek tops with the olive oil until golden. Put in the dried
mushrooms and brandy. Turn up the heat and let it all cook cook until the
brandy flames up. Add water, garlic peelings, cream, and sage stems, and bring
to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, add the salt and
peppercorns and continue to simmer for 20 minutes to infuse the flavor. Press
on the solids to extract all of the flavor, strain out and reserve the liquids.
Discard the solids.
To make the risotto, use a heavy-bottomed pan large enough to
hold everything with room for stirring and cooking, and use a wooden spoon for
stirring. In that heavy pan use some olive oil to sautéé the
onion, leek and carrot. When wilted and lightly golden around the edges, add
the garlic. When the flame has died down, stir well. Add the cooked rice and
stir well. Add about half of the reserved stock and stir again with a wooden
spoon.
Cook the risotto, gently adding the rest of the stock a little
stock at a time until it is all gone. Add the sage and a handful of the cheese.
Stir. Fold in the roasted mushrooms and add any accumulated oil and juices from
the mushroom roasting pan. Cook for one more minute to warm the mushrooms.
Plate it up and top with the grated cheese and a drizzle of truffle oil.
Quick Wokked Strawberry Shortcakes
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. butter
2 quarts ripe
strawberries
1 cup turbinado sugar
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
fresh
pepper
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
8 perfect basil leaves, 4 whole and 4
chiffonade
2 cups whipped cream
4 shortcakes
Instructions
In heated wok, melt butter.
Add cut-up
strawberries and sugar. Swirl.
Add balsamic vinegar. Swirl.
Add Gran
Marnier. Swirl.
Grind in pepper and add basil chiffonade.
Swirl and
remove from heat.
Add half of whipped cream and toss with berries.
Spoon onto biscuit bottoms.
Pour on more whipped cream and top with biscuit.
