Wild Mushroom Risotto

Ok, you're probably thinking that I just posted a risotto recipe not even 10 days ago, but I couldn't not share this one with you. The flavor of this mushroom risotto blew me away. I'm kind of upset with myself that I didn't try making this sooner, but I thought a mushroom is a mushroom, right? Oh no, they're not. I love mushrooms, but I never knew that they could impart such a powerful flavor. This risotto was just bursting with a rich, earthy flavor that I couldn't get enough of. I used 3 different mushrooms in this risotto and one of them I'd say is one that you must use if you make this. That mushroom would be the porcini mushroom. They can be a little expensive, but if you get them dried, it's a better value. Plus, once you reconstitute them you're left with a deep, fragrant broth to use in the risotto. If you like mushrooms at all, you must try this, I promise that you won't be disappointed. Here's what I did...

-1/2 oz of dried porcini mushrooms (1/2 oz of dried porcini's equals about 2 oz of reconstituted porcini's.)
-6 medium to large crimini mushrooms, coarsely chopped (may also be called Baby Bella's because they are baby portobello mushrooms, so if you can't find the crimini's then you can use portobello's instead, you shouldn't need more than 1 large or 2 medium portobello's.)
-a package of oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped (these look so cool, they come in one large clump. You'll need to trim off most of the stem because they can be tough.)
-8 oz or 1 cup of arborio rice
-32 oz container of chicken stock (I prefer low sodium, but that's up to you)
-1 large shallot, diced
-2 oz of pancetta (this is similar to bacon, but it's not smoked. Pancetta can be a little expensive, so feel free to use bacon, about 3 pieces or you can leave it out entirely.)
-1/3 cup of dry white wine
-2 generous handfuls of shredded parmesan cheese
-a handful of parsley, chopped
-a heavy splash of half-n-half or heavy cream

To reconstitute the porcini mushrooms, bring 1 and 1/2 cups of water to a boil, place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour the hot water over them. Let them sit for 5-10 minutes. Fish out the mushrooms and chop, but KEEP the water they were sitting in. In a medium stock pot, add about 1 TBS of extra virgin olive oil and bring up to medium heat. Saute the shallots and pancetta (or bacon) for about 5 minutes, then add in all of the mushrooms and cook until softened about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Once the wine has cooked out, add the mushroom stock (except for the last tablespoon which contains a little grit) and stir frequently. When the stock reduces, start adding 1/2 cup at a time of chicken stock. Repeat this step for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice is tender. Taste the risotto often to ensure that the rice is cooked through. Once the rice is cooked, stir in the parmesan cheese and parsley. Right before serving, stir in the half-n-half or heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

This is a very meaty tasting dish, so this would pair up well with beef or could even be the main entree with a crisp salad on the side. I was so pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this dish and I think this is my new favorite risotto. I hope you enjoy it too!