Making Risotto with our Shiitake Mushrooms!

As you know, we have been waiting, watching, and waiting some more since January 2011 for our mushroom logs to produce shiitake mushrooms. (Did I mention that we've been waiting?)  The logs started showing signs of emerging mushrooms back in the beginning of March, (see post) and as you can see, they are finally here! My daughter and I ceremoniously harvested the three mushrooms with care and reverence, and then promptly made Mushroom Risotto for our dinner on Mother's Day.  Since we only had three fresh mushrooms, we added some diced baby portabellas and rehydrated the dried porcini mushrooms from the pantry.  YUM!

The stems were so dense, that I decided to make a mushroom vinegar with them, and they are now steeping in organic apple cider vinegar.  I will continue to add the stems as more mushrooms bloom. 

If you remember, shiitake are incredibly nutritious and wonderfully medicinal!  To recap briefly from my original post from January 2011:  

1. From a medicinal perspective, shiitake - taken in the form of LEM - has antiviral, antifungal and immuno-modulating properties, and studies have shown tumor inhibiting properties as well.
2. From a food standpoint, shiitakes are a nutritional powerhouse.  As with most mushrooms, one gains the maximum nutritional benefit only upon cooking them.  They contribute a wide range of essential amino acids, are low in fat, high in fiber and provide a wide range of vitamins including Vitamin D, thiamine, niacin, ascorbic acid, riboflavin and biotin.

And of course I just love trivia:  

 

1. The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known as mycology, which is often regarded as a branch of botany, even though genetic studies have shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants since they are the only organism to combine glucans and chitin in their structural cell walls:  glucans are compounds found in plants and chitin is found in the exoskeleton of artropods.

Here is the recipe that we used.  It comes from Sada Fretz's Pilaf, Risotto, and other ways with Rice, and we've modified it over the years:

Risotto with Fresh Mushrooms

4 Tabs olive oil
1 or 2 Tabs unsalted butter
1/2 pound mixed fresh mushrooms such as shiitake, cremini or portabella, chopped (we added porcini)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups arborio rice
5 cups hot chicken or vegetable broth
1 Tab fresh thyme leaves or 1 teasp dried  (we used fresh from the garden!)
1/4 cup chopped parsley (also from the garden!)
1/3 cup freshly grarted Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (we used Locatelli)
sea salt and freshly ground black long pepper, to taste

Heat 1 Tab olive oil and 1 Tab butter in a medium-sized nonstick skillet.  Add mushrooms and cook until soft.  Add 1/4 cup wine.  Reduce heat to very low and cook 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat 3 Tabs oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soft, but not brown.  Add garlic and cook until soft, 1 or 2 mins.  Add rice and cook, stirring, 2 or 3 mins.  Add remaining 1/4 cup wine and cook, stirring, until liquid is absorbed.  begin stirring in the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and wiping the sides and bottom of the pan to prevent sticking.  As each addition of broth is absorbed, add the next.  When almost done, stir in the thyme, then the mushrooms, then the parsley.  Add more broth, stirring as before, until rice is done, creamy on the outside but still a bit firm in the center of each grain.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, the remaining Tab of butter, if using, and the salt and pepper.

Note: Any remedies or information listed on this blog are from historical references and used for teaching / educational purposes only. The contents are not meant to diagnose, treat, prescribe, cure or substitute consultation with a licensed health-care professional. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.