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Mushroom Risotto

The classic rice dish requires no superpowers, vegan or otherwise, just the time you spend stirring at the stove. Having friends in the kitchen and/or a glass of wine makes the time go faster.

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • a handful of dried mushrooms 8 to 12 (optional but flavor-enhancing)
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion chopped fine
  • 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms regular button mushrooms work, too, sliced
  • 1 cup rice -- Arborio is the risotto rice of choice but really, any rice will work
  • 4-1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary stem removed, leaves chopped fine (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Over medium heat, bring white wine to simmer in a medium saucepan. Add dried mushrooms. Turn off heat and let mushrooms infuse the wine for half an hour.
  • Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion. Reduce heat to medium and saute until onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add sliced mushrooms and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until mushrooms become tender. Stir occasionally.
  • Add the rice and stir, coating each grain with oil Keep stirring another few minutes, until rice looks luminous.
  • Chop the wine-infused mushrooms. Add to the rice, along with the warmed wine.
  • Pour the vegetable stock or water into the medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. When stock reaches simmer, reduce heat to low but keep on burner.
  • Meanwhile, stir the rice until it absorbs the wine.
  • Add warmed stock to rice a ladleful (or 1/2 cup) at a time, stirring constantly. It’ll take about half an hour to work in all the liquid, by which time the rice will have turned creamy and luscious from slow cooking.
  • Stir in finely chopped rosemary and nutritional yeast. Season with sea salt and fresh pepper.