Emptying Out the Pantry

In preparing for my temporary move, I’m cleaning out the cupboards and freezer. Last night, it was risotto. I love this dish. I actually learned how to make it in Bologna, Italy in a cooking class I took towards the end of the school year. It’s not a quick dish and I don’t make it as well as the Italian mama who taught us, but it has everything I love in it. – rice, onions, cheese and a veg of my choosing! I started simply enough, a little butter and chopped onions – sautéed until translucent. Then I added the Arborio rice and cooked it until it made this clack sound when it hit the side of the pan. Next, I added my wine – in this case I used some Cava that I had open in the frig. After that, I added some shitake mushrooms that I had rehydrated and some frozen artichoke I had in the freezer. I poured some of the water from the rehydrated mushrooms into the pot next. I stirred and as the liquid got absorbed and became creamy, I added more of the liquid, and stirred some more. I did this for about 20 minutes – when I ran out of the mushroom water, I used some left over vegetable stock. Lastly, I added some parmigiano-reggiano cheese and chopped button mushrooms I had. It was OK. I needed to add some salt and pepper. I made a lot of it and I’ve pretty much got lunch for the rest of the week set!