Mushroom and Leek Risotto

 

After a long year of working, I rewarded myself with a vacation to Italy. There are so many things about Italy that I loved. The architecture. The walkable cities. The cadence of the language. 

And of course! The food.

My family decided to book apartments in Italy rather than get hotels. That way, we would be 1) saving lots of money, but also 2) always accessible to hot water for tea. (Hey. We're Chinese. That's what we do.) My family vacations are also never complete without a visit to the local supermarket - we bring home interesting finds and make dinner family style! One of my favorite dishes in Italy happened to be risotto. (Hey, we're Chinese. We like rice.) The earthy mushrooms and the springy leeks give this dish a lot of flavor - but keeps it light if you just want it as a side dish. It can be made entirely vegetarian if you like and makes fantastic leftovers.

Mushroom and Leek Risotto

serves 2 entree sized portions or 3-4 sides

1 leek (Remove tough part of greens, slice in half vertically, wash, and then slice thinly into half coins.)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (Dried porcinis are awesome! Make sure you soak them in hot water first if you're using dried and drain)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons pancetta/speck/diced bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice (cannot be substituted for any other kind of rice)
3 cups chicken/veggie broth (or water if you are really in a bind)
salt and pepper to taste
parsley (optional)

1. Heat a non-stick saute pan and the olive oil.
2. Heat the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer while you continue to cook everything else.
3. When hot, add the pancetta/bacon - as usual, we're adding the bacon to give the risotto richness and a savory flavor. Totally optional, but totally worth it IMO.
4. When cooked through and almost crisp, add the garlic.
5. When garlic is fragrant, add the leeks and saute. 
6. When leeks are sweated (they're shiny, and turning a pretty green), add the mushrooms. Saute.
7. When mushrooms have cooked down slightly, add the rice and saute with the ingredients. Saute the rice for about five minutes, but keep the ingredients moving. Things may start to stick from this point forward.
8. Turn the meat down to medium low. Add three or four ladles of the simmering chicken stock to almost cover the ingredients. If the stock is cold, it will hinder the cooking process. The rice will slowly soak up all the stock and soften. Stir the pan frequently to make sure the rice is not sticking.
9. As the stock is absorbed, continue adding stock two ladles at a time - making sure that the bottom of the pan is never dry. Continue this process for 15 to 20 minutes. You will have to babysit this dish to make sure that the rice doesn't stick and cooks evenly. You'll know the rice is done when it is translucent and soft. 
10. Turn the heat down to low and let the rice cook out any residual water. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If desired, top with Parmesan reggiano or in my case, a shredded mozzarella stick. Serve immediately.