Mushroom Brown Rice Risotto

Eli gave me this delicious risotto recipe, and I love it. It has earthy mushroom flavors. It doesn’t have to be continually stirred like most risottos, but can be popped into the oven to bake and stirred into a creamy risotto at the end. A favorite! – Terry

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 5 cups (40 ounces) vegetable broth, divided (if your broth comes in 32­ounce containers, feel free to avoid opening another container by substituting 1 cup water for 1 cup broth in step 3)
• 1 1⁄2 cups brown arborio/short ­grain brown rice
• 12 to 14 ounces Cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1⁄2 cup dry white wine, optional (not in my world!)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves removed from stems and larger leaves torn into small pieces

Instructions

1. Make sure your oven rack is in the middle position. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes, then add the minced garlic. Cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, until the onions are well browned.
3. Add 4 cups broth (or 3 cups broth and 1 cup water), cover, and bring to a boil over medium­high heat. Remove from heat and stir in the rice. Cover the pot and bake until rice is tender and cooked through, about 65 to 70 minutes. It will seem pretty dry when you take off the lid, but don’t worry!
4. During the last 20 minutes of baking time, prepare the mushrooms. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the cleaned, sliced mushrooms to the pot with a dash of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are darker in color, fragrant and have soaked up most of their own juices, about 13 minutes.
5. Remove the pot from the oven. Pour in the remaining cup of broth, the Parmesan, wine, butter, salt, and a generous amount of pepper. Stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes, until the rice is thick and creamy. Stir in the mushroom mixture and any remaining juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide into bowls and top with a generous sprinkling of torn, fresh oregano leaves.

View the recipe at Cookie + Kate