Last week, I was in San Diego for a work conference and had dinner one evening with a group of people at a restaurant called Searsucker. Because this restaurant has a lot of meat dishes and I’m incredibly picky when it comes to meat, I settled on a very delicious dish of barley risotto with mushrooms and manchego. This dish reminded me that I had a recipe for Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Mascarpone tucked away in my recipe book that I needed to make soon. Of course, food made at home is generally never as good as in a restaurant but this one comes pretty darn close. Arborio rice is cooked with garlic, shallot, and white wine (I used chardonnay) before being simmered in a mushroom broth and topped with mascarpone cheese. I have to admit, I’m not the biggest mushroom lover (it’s a texture thing) but I like the flavor of mushrooms. Dried porcini mushrooms look downright nasty but they provide a ton of flavor for the broth. This recipe calls for beef broth but I used chicken broth instead and it worked out fine. I’m sure beef broth provides an added depth to the dish so I’d say stick with it if you like it. As I’ve mentioned before, risotto can’t be rushed and is a slow process so take your time. This comforting dish is worth it.
If you like this, check out Risotto Primavera.
The ingredients:
Reconstitute the dried mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the mushroom water. Combine 1 1/2 cups of the liquid with chicken (or beef) broth and simmer in a small saucepan. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
In a large saucepan, sauté rice, garlic, and shallot for 5 minutes. Add in the white wine and cook until it evaporates.
Slowly add in the warm broth mixture in small portions, letting each portion absorb completely before adding the next portion. Stir frequently to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Once all broth has been completely absorbed, add in chopped mushrooms, parmesan cheese, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine until cheese melts.
Top with mascarpone cheese and serve.
Additions: None
Omissions: None
Substitutions:
- Chicken broth for beef broth
Overall Rating: Love It
Source: Cooking Light Magazine
A Fork In Each Hand 
This looks heavenly. It’s a dark, rainy day in my neck of the woods – this would be a perfect way to brighten the day!
Total comfort food!
That looks gorgeous and now I want risotto, and I shouldn’t, not till I’m done with the lower-carb regimen (I do a session of that any time I feel like the waistline could use a little work)! I adore homemade risotto, and trust me, yours looks drool-inducing – if your restaurant one was better, it was because you got lucky – sadly, most restaurants fail where risotto is concerned.
If you dislike meat-based risottos (my favorite is alla Toscana with loads of pancetta and porcini), you can always try Milanese, with parmesan cheese and saffron – it’s the comfort food of the gods!
I usually like Pinot Grigio for the wine, but that is less to do with risotto and more to do with the fact that I love having a glass of the wine while I am stirring it, and Pinot Grigio is a favorite of mine – and does the risotto no harm, either!
I’d love to try the Milanese risotto – it sounds delish! And a little Pinot Grigio with risotto is right up my alley 🙂
I have the rice but have been putting off making it because I have never made risotto before and I’ve heard it’s so tricky… You make is seem easy so this might be the push I needed.
Thanks 🙂