Porcini and Morel Risotto

Last Saturday night, I had the pleasure of attending an art show featuring my talented friend Cate. Her show consisted of a series of delicate, colorful works done in gouache centered around mushrooms. Not only were her mushroom pieces quite beautiful but they also inspired me to don my apron and whip up a porcini and morel risotto for Mr. S.. I couldn't find a recipe that met my needs exactly so I ended up combining a recipe from Cooking Light and one from Cuizoo. The end product was absolutely delicious. The wild mushrooms imparted an earthy taste that wasn't overwhelming and the marscapone added the perfect bit of creaminess to the texture...pure mushroom bliss. The risotto was so good that Mr. S. even took the leftovers to work the next day!

Porcini and Morel Risottto

Ingredients

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce)

1/2 cup dried morels (about 1/2 ounce)

2 T unsalted butter

2 cups beef broth

1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice

1 cup chopped shallots

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2-3/4 cup mascarpone cheese (depending on how creamy you want it)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

- Combine 2 cups boiling water and mushrooms; let stand 20 minutes or until soft. Drain through a colander over a bowl. Reserve soaking liquid; chop mushrooms.

- Bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil). Keep broth mixture warm over low heat (cover).

- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with butter. Add rice, shallots, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add wine; cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).

- Add 1 cup broth mixture to rice mixture; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring occasionally until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).

- Add mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano and mascarpone cheeses, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir gently just until cheeses melt. Serve warm.