Recipe - Risotto With Mushrooms And Asparagus

1 pound Mushrooms; assorment
1 pound Asparagus
1 small Onion; chopped very fine
1 pound Arborio rice
Olive oil and butter
1 qt Chicken stock
1 qt Red wine; see options
One half cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Assorted mushrooms: crimini, shitake, oyster; or combination of standard
white, dried morel or porcini soaked in warm water one hour. OPTIONS: Need
2 quarts of liquid to cook the risotto. Half should be chicken stock but
the rest can be either wine, mushroom liquid, or vegetable stock; or some
combination. For a red wine, try Barbera D'Alba.

Saute mushrooms in a little olive oil and butter and set aside. Blanch
asparagus by a quick dip in boiling water until they turn bright green.
Then plunge them in a bowl of ice water (not tap water). Chop off the tips
and three or four inches os stalk. Save the rest for soup.
With a low flame under the heaviest saucepan or saute pan you have:
saute onion in a butter/oil combo until clear. Add rice and coat the grains
with the oil.
After a couple of minutes start adding liquid a little at a time, just
enough to cover the rice. Stir often with a wooden spoon. Alternate chicken
stock and the wine or other liquid.
Continue adding the liquids a little at a time. The rice is done when it
is still firm at the very middle of the grain but not crunchy to taste.
This takes about 25 minutes. When it reaches this stage, add the mushrooms,
a tablespoon of butter, the cheese, the salt and pepper, and thee sections
of asparagus, saving the tips to decorate the tope of the dish.
Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #167

Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 11:42:04 0700 (PDT)

From: PatH phannema@wizard.ucr.edu