Lovers’ Risotto

Ingredients

Base:
Risotto rice (Arborio), onions, garlic, olive oil, and dry white wine.
Flavoring:
Chicken stock (infused with shiitake mushrooms), salt, and pepper.
The Mushrooms:
Fresh mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, sautéed with parsley and garlic.
Finishing:
Butter, cream, pastrami, and freshly grated Grana Padano parmesan.

Method

1. Prep the Mushrooms: Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil with salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir in a teaspoon of garlic and a knob of butter for “love and affection,” then set aside.
2. Sauté Onions: In the same pan, cook the onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until they are translucent.
3. Deglaze: Add the remaining garlic and the white wine, allowing the onions to “get inebriated”.
4. Toast the Rice: Stir in the risotto rice for about a minute until it becomes semi-translucent.
5. Add Stock: Gradually add 1 ½ cup chicken stock (which has been simmering with shiitake mushrooms). Wait until the liquid is absorbed and the bottom looks slightly sticky before adding the next ladle. Repeat the process until the rice is soft, but not mushy.
6. Combine: Chop the shiitake mushrooms from the stock and add them back into the rice along with the butter, cream, and the sautéed mushrooms from Step 1.
7. Final Touch: Just before serving, stir in the pastrami and top with a generous amount of grated Grana Padano and black pepper.