The first time in my life I ever had risotto was approximately a month ago. In fact, I don't even think I knew what it was until shortly before that. Risotto is a terrific comfort food, soothing for the stomach, warming the heart, and just tasting superbly scrumptious.Risotto is generally made with cheese, but since I'm dairy free, I've discovered how to make it cheese free and still totally delicious. Risotto also generally calls for white wine, but I use my own homemade red wine for it and it tastes terrific. If you want to make it without wine, you can also do that. If you want to make this vegan, just replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. Its a very versatile recipe, fortunately! If you want to adjust the flavorings and add other veggies to it, like butternut squash or pumpkin, you can do so as well.
Rissoto is usually made with white rice, but this is how you'd make it healthier with brown rice. To make the white rice variation, the instructions need to be changed a drop- I'll include that variation at the bottom.
Brown Rice Mushroom Risotto Recipe (Dairy Free)
Ingredients:
2.5 cups short grain brown rice
10-11 cups chicken broth (or more, if necessary)
1-2 tbsp oil
2 onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup canned mushrooms/2 cups raw mushrooms
1 cup red wine
1 tsp nutmeg
2 pinches thyme
1/4 tsp sage
1 tsp garlic powder
1. Put rice with 5 cups of broth in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer covered until almost all the liquid is absorbed.
2. In another pot or skillet, saute onions until nearly browned, then add minced garlic. When garlic is fragrant, add mushrooms and cook until soft.
3. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms to the rice.
4. Add wine and 1 cup of broth to the rice. Put the rice on a low flame, keep it uncovered, and mix it until the liquid is nearly all absorbed. If not using wine, add 2 cups of broth.
5. Add another cup of broth and mix until liquid is absorbed. Keep adding one cup of broth at a time, mixing it until absorbed. Periodically taste the rice. You want to add liquid and cook until the rice is completely soft, but not mushy, and surrounded by a creamy sauce. This usually will use the 10-11 total cups of broth, but the amounts aren't exact.
6. When fully cooked, season with nutmeg, thyme, sage, and garlic powder. Salt to taste.
Variations:
If you'd like to make this with short grain white rice, start by sauteing your onions, garlic, and mushrooms, then add 2.5 cups short grain white rice to the mixture. Add the wine, and one cup of broth, and cook, mixing, until mostly absorbed, and then add one cup of broth at a time to the rice. You'll still need 10-11 cups of broth, but usually only closer to 10 for white rice.
If you want to make this without wine, replace the wine with broth, and adjust seasonings (you'll probably need to add more seasoning as the wine adds a nice amount of flavor.
P.S. No, I'm not up to making risotto just yet. This is a really yummy recipe, but takes a bit of work and involves standing on your feet for longer periods of time. I'm still taking it easy in the kitchen; I had planned on sharing this recipe the day I gave birth... but ended up being a little too busy instead, so I am sharing it today instead.
Have you ever made or eaten risotto before? What do you put in your risotto? Have you ever made it dairy free? Have you ever made it with brown rice?
Do you think you're likely to try out this recipe?
Linking up to Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Simple Lives Thursday, Fresh Bites Friday, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love, Freaky Friday, Homestead Barn Hop, Monday Mania, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop, Fat Tuesday,