Wild Mushroom Risotto with Beet and Orange Salad

I was looking for an excuse to use the truffle salt that I had bought for Derek for Christmas. Perhaps that is wrong that I was the one to be anxious to use his gift...but anything kitchen or food related is essentially shared as we share meals and the process of making them.

I wanted to find something relatively simple as we would be making this meal for some friends for a post-football game watching day. The last thing that I wanted was to be stuck in the kitchen while everyone else enjoyed the games.

So simple + truffle salt use = Mushroom Risotto!!

Sure, risotto is a bit hands on but the execution of the dish is relatively easy. And we had just received some trumpet mushrooms in our shipment so it seemed like a natural fit.

NOTE: Some of the trumpet mushrooms, to my surprise, went bad within the four days that we had them...when we went to chop them up to prep them for the risotto, we were sorely disappointed and had to go out and buy some more....

I used an Emeril recipe as my base but we really just started throwing things in the pot as we are fairly adept in making risotto at this point.

5 to 6 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
12 ounces assorted mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced, stems removed
2 cups arborio rice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons truffle salt, to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low to keep hot.

In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until wilted and their liquid is evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are opaque, about 1 minute. Stir in the thyme. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until nearly all evaporated. Add 3/4 cup of the stock, the salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the stock is nearly all evaporated. Continue adding more stock 1/2 cup at a time as the previous addition is nearly absorbed, until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese and the parsley and mix well.

Remove from the heat and stir in the truffle salt, adjust the seasoning, to taste.

For starters, I made a simple salad of roasted beets and segmented oranges with candied almonds and arugula. The dressing was a blood orange/champagne vinaigrette:

and for a finale - Derek made Thomas Keller's Frozen Lemon Bars

picture of the bars with un-toasted meringue:

The salad, in my opinion, was just beautiful. I loved the colors with the pinkish beets, orange navel oranges and reddish blood oranges. And candied almonds just add a nice hearty sweetness to the light salad.

The risotto was also delicious. I think the combination of mushrooms and truffles (salt) is just a classic pairing. I was dying to have an earthy pinot noir with this but we instead opted for white wine that night which was fine, but not ideal.

My only wish is that risotto was slightly more healthy than it is. Sure, we lessen the effect with a lack of cream and a smart use of oil and butter...but in the end, it is still a pot of rice. And okay, I guess brown rice can be used...and while I really do love brown rice, it just isn't always the same for a risotto. Though that is getting me to thinking I should try it before I knock it...so coming up next risotto, brown rice of some sort....or maybe faux risotto with a grain such as quinoa...to be determined!