Rachel Rays Popeye Risotto With Beefy Balsamic Mushrooms Recipes

WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Steps:

• Place dried porcinis and stock or broth in a saucepan and bring stock to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer.
• In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium to medium high heat. Add shallots and saute 2 minutes. Add arborio rice and saute, 2 or 3 minutes more. Add Sherry and cook the liquid completely absorbed. Add several ladles of hot stock or broth and reduce heat slightly. Simmer, stirring frequently until liquid is absorbed.
• Remove mushrooms from water and reserve cooking liquid. Coarsely chop the porcinis and add them to the rice. Continue to ladle broth into arborio, half the remaining amount at a time. Stir mixture each time you add broth and remove from heat when the rice is cooked to al dente. Cool and store any remaining liquids if there are any.
• The ideal total cooking time for perfect risotto is 22 minutes. The consistency should be creamy.
• Stir in thyme and a few handfuls of grated cheese. Season your risotto with salt and pepper to your taste. Serve creamy mushroom risotto from the hot pan with warm, crusty whole grain breads.

CHICKEN WITH WILD MUSHROOM AND BALSAMIC CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.
• Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots. Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice the chicken on an angle. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.
• To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with the sliced chicken and sauce.

POPEYE RISOTTO WITH BEEFY BALSAMIC MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring the water and stock to a boil, then reduce heat to low to keep warm.
• While the liquids are heating up, add the spinach, pine nuts, a few grates of nutmeg and a handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano to a food processor. Pulse a few times to get everything chopped up. Add a ladleful of the hot stock and water and about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Run the machine to puree and reserve.
• Place a large skillet with high sides over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tbls. olive oil.
• Add the onions and chopped or grated garlic, and saute until the onions begin to get tender, 4-5 minutes.
• Add the arborio rice and toast it in the pan, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the wine and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Ladle about half of the stock or broth into the pan with the rice and bring it up to a bubble, stirring constantly. Simmer the mixture, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed, 4-5 minutes.
• Ladle in about half of the remaining liquid and continue stirring the rice until that liquid has fully absorbed, 4-5 minutes.
• Ladle in the remaining stock and cook the risotto until most of the remaining liquid has been absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 7 minutes. Season the risotto with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Once you get the risotto going, place another skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining tablespoons of butter and olive oil.
• Add the mushrooms and cracked clove of garlic into the other pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and add the balsamic.
• Cook about 1 minute to glaze the mushrooms then remove from heat and discard the garlic clove. Keep the mushrooms warm until the risotto is finished.
• Once the risotto and mushrooms have finished cooking, add the spinach puree and remaining 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano to the risotto and give it a good stir. Spoon the risotto out onto a serving dish and top it with the glazed mushrooms.
• Pass additional Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.