This incredibly rich risotto recipe is from the Houstonian’s Executive Chef Neal Cox. It’s a meal in itself. When I read the ingredients, a light went off in my head that flashed ‘Barolo’—pop a cork!!!
Method (Risotto):
Heat olive oil in a pan big enough to cook the risotto. Add the rice and toast until fragrant. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Deglaze with the champagne and cook until it’s completely evaporated. Add enough risotto base to cover just the top of the rice. Patiently stir the rice and add more of the base, as needed, until risotto is al dente. Add the mushroom and heat through. Take the risotto of the heat and fold in the cheeses. Season the risotto with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little truffle oil and garnish with chervil.
Method (Risotto Base):
Sauté the first three ingredients in olive oil until translucent without any color, about 3 minutes. Add the next three ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes and making sure not to have any color on the vegetables. Add the chicken stock and simmer until reduced by ¾. Strain and cool.
Ingredients
Risotto
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 1 cup Carnaroli Rice
- ¼ cup Yellow Onions, Brunoise
- 1 cup Champagne
- 3 cups Risotto Base, Hot
- 1 cup Wild Mushrooms, Cooked
- 1 tbsp Mascarpone Cheese
- ¼ cup Grated Grana Padana Cheese
- TT Truffle Oil
Risotto Base
- 2 ea. Yellow Onions, roughly chopped
- ½ qt Shallots, roughly chopped
- 1 qt Leeks, chopped and soaked in water
- 1 qt Parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 qt Celery Root, peeled, roughly chopped
- 2 qts Mushroom scraps
- 4 gal Chicken Stock