Portobello Mushroom "Risotto"
Risotto is an Italian rice dish, made with thick, short grain and starchy grains of rice. It takes forever to cook properly and requires near constant attention, in order to develop the starches within the dish. These will thicken the "sauce", resulting in an al dente rice suspended in a luscious creamy sauce.
This is not that.
HOWEVER, this is VERY good, whatever it is. It's a really fantastic "mush", serving as a bed for something else. When I originally made this particular recipe, I used it as a bed for my Valentine's Day Centerpiece, Rosemary Skewered Lamb Loin.
The key, really, is using raw grated cauliflower and serving it while it's still got a little "toothsomeness". The "creamy" texture/consistency comes from the melted cheese, butter and mushroom duxelles. This dish may look like it's a little on the complicated side, but ... it really isn't. Even if it was ... it was TOTALLY worth it!
Note: I suspect that people will ask if this can be made without the miracle rice. Sure can! The miracle rice helps to "stretch" it, but isn't required. If you omit it, reduce the rest of the ingredients by about 25%. Everything else still applies.
This is not that.
HOWEVER, this is VERY good, whatever it is. It's a really fantastic "mush", serving as a bed for something else. When I originally made this particular recipe, I used it as a bed for my Valentine's Day Centerpiece, Rosemary Skewered Lamb Loin.
The key, really, is using raw grated cauliflower and serving it while it's still got a little "toothsomeness". The "creamy" texture/consistency comes from the melted cheese, butter and mushroom duxelles. This dish may look like it's a little on the complicated side, but ... it really isn't. Even if it was ... it was TOTALLY worth it!
Note: I suspect that people will ask if this can be made without the miracle rice. Sure can! The miracle rice helps to "stretch" it, but isn't required. If you omit it, reduce the rest of the ingredients by about 25%. Everything else still applies.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time30 mins
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 207.39kcal
Ingredients
- 2 each portobello mushrooms
- 1/2 cup fresh whole butter cut into 8 cubes (each measuring about 1 tbsp)
- 4 each garlic clove minced
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
- 1/4 cup red wine good quality (divided)
- 2 8-oz packets miracle rice
- 1 tbsp light olive oil
- 1 head small cauliflower
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, you want to start the mushrooms. Remove the stems and set them aside. I personally cut the gills from underneath the mushrooms. The gills tend to color everything and can also hide bits of dirt and sand. This step is optional, but you can scrape them out with a spoon, or lay the mushroom on its top and slice into the mushroom from the side and cut the gills off, this way.
- Cut one mushroom in half and dice the half into small pieces about as big as a finger nail. Set aside.
- Chop the remaining 1 1/2 mushrooms and stems, until they are very finely diced. This can also be done in a food processor. It's not uncommon for me to use a cheese grater for mushrooms, also. The idea is to get the mushrooms very very small, but not a puree.
- In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, melt your 1 tbsp butter. Sauté the portobello dice, with a little salt and pepper. When they are cooked, set them aside.
- In the same hot pan, add another 1 tbsp of butter.
- Add the garlic to the pan. When the garlic is aromatic and just beginning to color, add your chopped or grated mushrooms. Add a flavorful amount of salt and pepper to this mixture. Also add your fresh oregano.
- Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, or until all the water begins to release from the mushrooms. The mixture will become almost "soupy".
- At this point, add half of your red wine.
- Continue to cook the mushrooms, until they are almost a paste. Once they are like a paste, remove the mushrooms and set aside.
- Now, work on the miracle rice. Pour the contents of the rice bags into a strainer and get rid of the liquid.
- Once the rice is in a strainer, run it under cold water for a good minute or two. Wash that fishy odor off of it. Then, let it drip dry for a bit.
- While the "rice" drip dries, remove the leaves and core from the cauliflower.
- With a cheese grater, grate the cauliflower over the largest grate section. This should give you grated cauliflower. (an alternative is to put it into a food processor and "pulse" the cauliflower, until it's small grains ... you don't want to puree it, which is why I like the cheese grater method)
- Pre-heat a large non-stick pan. Add your miracle rice to the pan and stir fry them, in a small amount of light olive oil. Cook them over very high heat for about 2 or 3 minutes, tossing them around, until they're dry.
- Once they are dry, add the rest of your red wine to the pan, mushroom paste and sautéed mushroom dice to the pan.
- Once the mixture begins to boil, add your cauliflower to the pan and season with a little salt and pepper.
- Stir the cauliflower well and taste for seasoning.
- After about 1 minutes, add your fresh butter and grated parmesan cheese. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or heat resistant spatula, until the butter has completely melted. (make sure you stir during the butter melting. It will form a creamy quality within the risotto. However, if you just let it "melt" it will form an oil slick, floating on top. Stirring is important)
- Serve!
Nutrition
Serving: 8g | Calories: 207.39kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.85g | Protein: 7.0125g | Fat: 16.22375g | Fiber: 1.745g