Fabulous Fun With Fungi

My dear mum placed mushrooms on the family menu quite often when I was a kid. We’d have them creamed with onions on steaks, sautéed in butter as a side for holidays meals, and they were an essential component of a hearty barley soup on a cold Long Island winter’s day. Mushroom risotto, however, was something I missed growing up, and discovered years later as a young adult exploring more international tastes.

Mushrooms possess a mysterious duality of being either tasty or deadly. What a culinary world dichotomy! And what a thrill that brings to the hunt. A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Cape Cod for several days of mushroom gathering, an experience I hope to repeat this fall. Roaming through the soft piney sand dunes waiting to spot a prized Boletus edulis was something I really enjoyed. Boletus, chicken of the woods, all underfoot during a 5-mile hike that yielded a basket full of fungi goodness.

I also have a fondness for using those wonderful dried button mushrooms I spy in the Chinese markets. Really, you gotta love the shiitake packing from some of these Chinese companies. Hysterical names – the “Wise Wife” brand is a great one, and the logo is so far out.

Another great place to ’shroom is at local farmers markets, just in case you don’t want to go up north in the fall and trek through national forests in search of fabulous fungi. The Saturday market at Legion Park has some great vendors (Biscayne Times January 2021); I did a run through there for a few fresh king trumpets for my mix and to garnish my finale.

Many people think risotto is complex, but making it is actually really simple. I switch between my weekly congee and risotto just for fun and a great facial. The necessity to patiently hover over a steaming “kochtopf,” or cooking pot, does wonders, dear readers. Michelin-star results and a spa treatment at the same time – outstanding!

I’ve tasted risottos around the world and one of the best was recommended by Bruno Salvatti, the maitre d’ at Hassler House back in ’94 when I worked for the Vatican Museums (but that’s a story for another day). I’ve also had fun experimenting with mushroom risotto, specifically. Basic risottos stand well on their own, but adding the ’shroom element makes me smile a bit more.

One of my risotto ingredients – the stock – has been modified for some extra kick. Fresh mushrooms rock out, but if you have a few bags of dried fungi lying about, they come in quite handy once you soak them properly. I’ve found that this process yields a wonderful “stock” that intensifies the whole process. And some companies now produce mushroom stock, which is great for the soaking process.

After soaking “Wise Wife” shiitake buttons in a refrigerator for 24 hours, voilá! Supershroom stock. As a flavor-filled add-on, I like to sauté a few other species in butter to plop on top of the arborio quagmire for the extra taste buzz. (Back in my college days, there were other ’shrooms that went even further in the buzz department, but Florida ain’t Oregon yet.)

The fresh peas add to the risotto give this recipe more vibrance and keep me on the vegan platform – as I don’t use chicken stock when I make this recipe – but good Parmesan cheese is a rule breaker and nibbling during the process is suggested. A few fresh peas, a chunk of cheese, do as you please. Are you smellin’ what I’m tellin’?

So on with the recipe and an overdue steam facial, not that it will make me any prettier.

CHEF SID’S MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Prep time: Approximately 30-35 minutes; the risotto is always 20-22 minutes on the stove

Serves: 4 people as a main dish

INGREDIENTS

·      2 cups dried shiitake mushrooms

·      32 ounces mushroom stock – and lots of filtered water to keep stock working

·      1/2 stick butter plus a bit more – Irish butter, if you please

·      1/2 pound king trumpet mushrooms, thickly sliced

·      1 pound baby portobellos, sliced

·      1 box mixed mushrooms, for some vibrance in texture and flavor

·      1/2 cup plus a bit more olive oil

·      Anchovy or kosher salt

·      Pepper, if desired, to taste

·      2 shallots, finely chopped

·      1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

·      1 pound arborio white rice – good quality counts!

·      1 bottle pinot grigio – 1 cup for the recipe, the other 4 cups for consumption

·      1 cup fresh peas

·      1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

·      Parsley for garnish

PREPARATION

·      24 hours prior to cook day, place dried shiitake mushrooms in a large resealable bag, fill with mushroom stock, squeeze out as much air as possible and seal; refrigerate 24 hours, turning bag several times.

·      After 24 hours, separate and drain off this “super stock” into a large saucepan and warm over low heat; at least a quart of water can be added as this stock will stay heated – and evaporation still works – as you add it to the working risotto.

·      In separate large saucepan, melt butter and sauté 5-6 king trumpet slices and 4-5 sliced baby portabellas for a good tasty sear; set aside.

·      Slice soaked shiitakes into strips, slice remaining mushrooms and sauté until just tender in a few tablespoons of olive oil and butter, adding salt and pepper, if desired, to taste; set aside.

·      Place a few tablespoons of olive oil in a 8-10 quart heavy stockpot and lightly sauté shallots until tender, then add chopped thyme.

·      Add arborio rice to stockpot and stir constantly over medium-high heat, until you hear a cra

ckling, popping sizzle; add a few ladles of the heated mushroom stock and 1 cup white wine.

·     Now, and this is the secret of perfect risotto, the second you add the heated stock to the rice mixture, you must keep stirring nonstop, and do not let the mixture get dry.

·      Start a timer; 20 minutes should get you there, maybe 22. Most important is that you can now enjoy that facial as the stock boils off under medium heat. So stir constantly and add more ladles of stock as the mixture gets a bit thicker and stock is absorbed into rice. Stir completely at a good pace, not too fast, and switching hands helps balance the workout/facial. How cool is that?

·      About 10 minutes into the 20 on the timer, add sautéed mushroom mixture and keep stirring or face the wrath of the god of paella!

·      About 18 minutes into the fray, add fresh peas and Parmigiano-Reggiano (or any other treat you may be partial to; it’s you experiment at this point).

·      When you get that creamy texture and the tested kernels have a tender outside and that classic al dente bite inside, you have arrived at Risottoville. I love to then garnish the dish with the extra sautéed king trumpets and portobellos that I set aside. Looks and tastes better to me. Now, “mangia bené” and “kaka forté!”

Sid Hoeltzell is an award-winning Miami-based commercial food and beverage photographer and former “MasterChef” contestant. He has completed more than 450 commissioned works for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, teaches food photography seminars and is a preferred fine art photographer for Christie’s, Sotheby’s and private collections.