Discovering a good vegetarian risotto is akin to finding water in the desert or lasting love at first sight or your dream apartment in Manhattan, on a budget. All desirable things, depending on who you are and where you come from, but not so easy to come by.
The few times I’ve been “wowed” by a veggie risotto, it’s been a creamy mushroom-filled affair. So that’s where I start. With mushrooms, and sparkling wine, rapini and thyme.
The inspiration for this risotto came from a pasta dish I ate in East Harlem. The year was 2014. I was nestled in my two bedroom apartment on 114th St. It was lunch hour and Italian was on the menu. Now, East Harlem is a lot of wonderful things, but pasta haven it most certainly is not. Type in “pasta east harlem” into google search and only three names pop up–Rao’s, Nocciolo and Dreamer’s Pizza.
Rao’s, was a bit out of my league, being a member’s only shindig. So I had to settle for Nocciolo. That afternoon, Nocciolo’s Farfalle in Mushroom Brodo made settling an utter joy. The flavors seemed so simple until you tried to parse out everything you were tasting–a more complex affair that left my palate’s tasting abilities a little challenged. So I went back a few days later for a second taste test, and a peek at the description line under the dish. The words “mushrooms”, “rapini”, and “thyme” leaped out at me.
Shortly thereafter, from many trials and tribulations, experiments failed and semi-failed, was born my Mushroom and Rapini Risotto.
Of course, before I could begin recreating the broth, I had to answer the question, “what the heck is rapini?”
Rapini, for those uninitiated, is the Italian term for Broccoli Raab. It’s a green leafy vegetable that’s alternately nutty and bitter. It is a part of the mustard and turnip famliies.
But this green veggie is not easy to find. So if unaviailable in your local grocery aisle, substitute with mustard greens or arugula.
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Mushroom and Rapini Risotto
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 50
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
At heart, this is a summer risotto–earthy and green, minty and citrusy. It’s mushroom and rapini layered with shades of thyme and pepper, shallots and dry sparkling wine.Â
Ingredients
1 cup arborio rice
1 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, cut into small dice
1/2 cup rapini stems, chopped finely
1/2 cup rapini leaves, chopped finely
1/2 cup fennel, diced finely or grated into thin strips
2 tsbp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup shallots, diced small
20 sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup sparkling wine or 1 1/2 tbsp. white distilled vinegar or 1/2 tsp. lemon
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
1 tsp. pepper
Salt to taste (approximately 1 tsp. )
5 cups water
Instructions
Preparing the Broth:
- Blend 1 cup chopped mushrooms with 3 cups water. Pass through a fine mesh strainer and reserve the mushroom broth. The liquid should be a caramel-chocolate color. Â
- Blend 1/2 cup rapini stems plus 1/2 cup fennel shavings with 2 cups water. Pass through a fine mesh strainer. The broth should be a grass green color
- You should have five cups of broth. Keep the two broths separate. Heat them till warm.
Making the Risotto:
- Heat 1 tbsp. each of olive oil and butter for for 3-4 mins. till the butter is almost melted.
- Add the minced garlic and 1/2 cup shallots. Cook for 2 mins.
- Toss in 1/2 cup rapini leaves and saute for 3 mins.
- Add in 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms, the thyme sprigs and 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper. Cook for another 3 mins. If using dried thyme instead of fresh, toss it in now.
- Add 1 cup arborio rice and 1/2 cup dry sparkling wine. If making for kids, skip the sparkling wine and add 1 1/2 tbsp. white distilled vinegar. Stir to coat evenly with the veggies. Cook for 3-5 mins. till the moisture from the wine dries up.
- Add 1 cup mushroom broth. Keep stirring until the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 3 mins.
- Season with 1/4 tsp. each of pepper and salt.
- Add 2nd cup mushroom broth. Continue stirring occasionally. This time, it takes a bit longer for the liquid to be absorbed, about 6 minutes.
- Season with 1/4 tsp. each of pepper and salt.
- Add 1 cup rapini broth. Continue occasional stirring until liquid is dissolved, about 6 minutes.
- Season with 1/4 tsp. each of pepper and salt.
- Add 2nd cup rapini broth. Repeat occasoinal stirring until liquid is dissolved, about 9 minutes.
- Try the risotto. Adjust seasoning according to taste. Determine how much liquid is necessary for rice to get done.
- I added 1/2 cup more mushroom broth. Stir until done, approximately 3 mins.
- Turn off the stove and add 1 tbsp. of butter plus any cheese (if using). If not using sparking wine/white wine vinegar, then add a few drops of lemon here. Mix everything together. The residual heat should melt the cheese and butter, giving the risotto an unctuous, creamy texture. Â
- Serve hot!
Notes
- If you have dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms, you can make the following mushroom stock as well: i) Soak 1 cup dried mushroom in 1 cup warm water. Strain and reserve the liquid. ii) Blend 1 cup crimini mushrooms in 2 cups water and pass through a fine mesh strainer. iii) Mix the blended crimini mushroom liquid with the dried mushroom broth for 3 cups of complex stock.
- If you cannot find rapini (broccoli rabe), then substitute mustard greens. DO NOT substitute broccoli. Rapini is from the turnip family, not from the broccoli one.
- As mentioned above, if making for kids, skip the wine and use white distilled vinegar. If you don’t have either, then squeeze 1/2 tbsp. of lemon on the risotto whle adding the butter and cheese. Mix well.
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 365
- Sugar: 1.4
- Sodium: 716
- Fat: 11.6
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 50.7
- Fiber: 7
- Protein: 12.1
- Cholesterol: 19
Keywords: mushroom, mushroom risotto, rapini, broccoli rabe, risotto, crimini, green rissotto, veganfoodie, vegetarian foodie, vegan risotto, vegetarian risotto
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