{thirsty thursday} — shitake mushroom and cippolini onion risotto w/ an authentic abbey

i’m extra excited about risotto now. wanna know why?! besides the fact that it’s kinda fun to make – i just found out that risotto is naturally gluten-free… hooray for that!  it’s a rather starchy grain, and makes for an outstanding vegan dish such as this.  simple ingredients, simple cooking, COMPLEX flavour!  delicious.  i super heart risotto, and you should too… it’s easy to fall in love with it.  here’s what i made for this dish :

the ratio for risotto is 1 cup to 3 cups liquid.  however, i’ve also read and experimented myself with slightly larger amounts of liquid.  it really depends on the consistency you’d like, so play around a little – that’s what makes cooking so fun… at least the way i cook!  which is also why i’m not a very good baker – one can’t really “wing it” in baking as easily 😉

– shitake mushrooms, chopped {about a cup}

– 2 small cipollini onions, chopped {a sweet onion would suffice}

– 1 cube vegetable bouillon {save space in the pantry!}

– 1 cup arborio rice {AKA “risotto”}

to begin, add 4 cups water to your vegetable bouillon cube {or just heat up 4 cups vegetable broth}… keep simmered on low in a sauce pan…

in another pan, swirl in a couple tablespoons of EVOO and saute your onions and mushrooms until tender…

toss in your arborio rice – you do not have to rinse it, we want to keep the starchiness of it!  toast the rice for about a minute, then add in about a half cup or so of dry cooking wine… this adds amazing flavour to the risotto!

once the wine is absorbed, slowly add in a little of your reserved bouillon or broth about a cup at a time… stir gently, cooking on low-medium heat and using a silicone spatula, to not effect the integrity of the rice.  once the liquid is absorbed, add in a little more. repeat this process until the rice is cooked and the dish is slightly creamy and/or liquid is all gone…

serve immediately.  this is one small looking plate… that’s because i ate a TON before remembering to take the final fotograph.  oops. but goodness was it amazing!

i have to say, i’m not as much a fan of risotto leftovers. the starchiness of the risotto makes it kind of challenging to keep in the fridge, it can tend to become too sticky – just my  humble opinion.  if you have recommendations for how to keep it, please do share!  and just… enjoy the heck out of it!

and although i’m not really drinking these days, here is a suggestion for a yummy brew :

you may be familiar with leffe as a blonde… but apparently it has an alter ego – several, actually… and now i want to try them all!

what i like about the brown {brune} is the richness.  it still has a similar creaminess to the body and that almost champagne-like consistency with a clean and nearly sweet finish. caramel and malt flavours i believe would go well with a complex dish such as this risotto.  mmmm, delish!

Tags: beer, cooking, easy, flavour, food, gluten-free, healthy, recipes, risotto, simple, thirsty thursday, vegan, vegetarian