Enoki Mushroom Risotto

The two things you need, besides the ingredient list when making risotto is a wooden spoon and a glass of nice white wine. The two are essential to really enjoy the risotto making process. The wooden spoon, because I can't imagine, in Italy, they would use anything else to stir the risotto with and the wine to help ease the pain of your shoulders as you stir, stir and stir and to get you in a risotto making mood. I was transported to Italy, while making my risotto, wearing an apron, singing out a few words in Italian. But it got old fast, as my accent was terrible but it did give me a good laugh! You gotta try it, it will naturally come, after the glass of wine. ;)

• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 cup chopped enoki mushroom, about 3oz will be enough to make a cupful, *you can use any other kind of mushroom that you would like, just cut them fine and fully cook before putting it into the risotto.
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus a pat
• 2 porcini mushroom bouillon cubes
• 2 cups water, boiled
• 3/4 cup Moscato wine
• a pinch of ground sage

In a pan, melt a pat of butter and add in the chopped enoki mushrooms, I chopped them to be about the size of a grain of rice. Saute for a minute of two until lightly browned, they cook quickly and set aside. Make your porcini broth by dissolving the bouillon cubes in the water. Use a bouillon brand that is so fragrant that when you smell the box, all you get is a beautiful perfume of  porcini mushrooms. This recipe used 1 3/4 cups of the broth, you can save the remaining 1/4 cup to add to a soup, to cook vegetables in or to add to a stew. In a heavy pot, like a Dutch oven, combine one tablespoon unsalted butter and the shallot on low heat. Saute until the shallot is softened, add in the arborio rice and let it ever so lightly brown. This is where the beauty of making risotto comes in adding in the liquids a little at a time and stirring constantly, coaxing the rice to absorb the liquid, while it releases the starches to a thick and creamy rice dish, that is so satisfying you can just eat it with a spoon and be content. Little by little, add in the porcini broth, about an 1/8th of a cup, stirring constantly until the broth is absorbed and then add in more as it gets absorbed. Add in the Moscato wine in the same manner until absorbed. The whole process takes about 45 minutes. Once your risotto is almost done, add in your last bit of liquid, the enoki mushroom, sage and the last tablespoon of unsalted butter and stir until the absorbed. This makes 2 servings, just double the recipe as needed. Serve nice and hot and if you want, you can serve this with grilled asparagus and portabella mushrooms. Enjoy!