Mushrooms and cauliflower come together beautifully in this creamy, luxurious risotto side dish. Enjoy this dish when cauliflower is found easily at your local farmers market or when it is still available fresh in the grocery stores in the winter. Great served with lightly breaded, pan-fried white fish such as haddock or as an accompaniment to a slow-roasted sirloin roast. But don't just reserve this recipe for use as a side dish. It is fantastic warmed and served along a side salad for a delicious, comforting, healthy lunch.
5cupsshitake and oyster mushroomsremove the stems and slice the caps. Reserve the stems for another use.
3cupscauliflower floretscut small
2tbspunsalted butter
⅛tspsalt
To make the risotto:
2largeshallotschopped fine
2tbspunsalted butter
1½cupsArborio rice
1cupdry white wine
4cupshot low-sodium chicken brothI heat mine in the microwave until it is hot.
1cupgrated Parmesan cheese
1½tbspfresh parsleychopped
1tspfresh thymeminced
⅛tspsalt
¼tspblack pepper
optional- ¼ cup of crumbled crispy bacon
optional- ½ cup of cooked green peas
Instructions
First sauté the mushrooms and cauliflower:
To a large non-stick frying pan or stainless steel sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add the cauliflower and mushrooms, and sauté on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning. You want to just soften the vegetables and brown the mushrooms.
Once the mushrooms have released their liquid and browned, season the vegetables with salt to taste.
Remove the vegetables from the fry pan.
Make the risotto:
To the fry pan, add another 2 tablespoons of butter. Melt the butter and add the shallots. Fry the shallots on medium heat until softened, 2 minutes.
Stir in the Arborio rice. Stir to coat but do not brown the rice.
Add the wine and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Make sure to stir the mixture often because as soon as the mixture has absorbed the liquid, you will start to add the hot chicken broth.
Stir in ½ cup of the hot chicken broth. Cook the mixture until the liquid is absorbed, again stirring continually.
Repeat adding the hot chicken broth, 1 cup at a time, cooking the mixture each time, until the liquid is absorbed. This should take about 20 minutes.
Stir in the mushrooms and cauliflower and heat the mixture through for about another 5 minutes.
Stir in the cheese, parsley and thyme. Season with additional salt and pepper. Let stand for 2 minutes before serving.
If you have decided to also add crumbed bacon, serve on top of the risotto when serving.
If you have decided to add some fresh cooked peas, add them before serving and mix to combine.