A Woodsy Risotto {Mushrooms and Blueberries}

I know, even my P.S. (Partner in Sustenance/ hubby) rolled his eyes when I told him about my new recipe find. But really, mushrooms and blueberries are both found in the woods. The blog where I found the recipe said it is common in northern Italy to pair the two in food dishes. The risotto is a popular dish and usually made with beef broth. If Italians love it, why shouldn’t we? I have an open mind!

I did make some changes to the recipe. I omitted the spinach (I was out of spinach) and the thyme. Actually I meant to use the thyme but I forgot. I’ve included the thyme in the recipe below, and called it optional. Otherwise I used the amounts stated in the recipe even though it was a lot more wine than I usually use. And even the blogger made modifications because she used vegetable broth because she is a vegan.

Sauté onions until translucent. Add mushrooms and continue for several minutes until they are lightly browned

I started by sautéing the diced onion over medium high heat in a generous drizzle of olive oil. When the onions were almost translucent I added the mushrooms and continued sautéing until they were browned. I turned off the heat and set the onions and mushrooms aside in a dish.

In same skillet, add drizzle of oil and stir rice until lightly golden

In the same large nonstick skillet I added another generous drizzle of oil and sautéed my Arborio rice until it was slightly golden brown.

I’d put my beef broth into a saucepan and heated it on the back burner until it was bubbling. I turned the heat down to medium low to keep it hot.

Add 1 1/2 cups of white wine and let simmer until it is absorbed into the rice

When my rice was lightly golden I added the wine to the skillet and let it bubble away.

When wine is absorbed, begin adding 3/4 cup scoops of hot beef broth at a time. Let rice absorb the broth, stirring occasionally, before adding another scoop of broth.

When the wine is all absorbed I began the traditional adding 3/4 cup of broth to the skillet, letting it absorb into the rice before adding another scoop of broth.

Add scoops of broth when the previous scoop is absorbed into the rice

I continued adding scoops of hot broth when the skillet was almost dry.

With second to last scoop of broth, stir in onions and mushrooms

When I had about 2 scoops left I added the mushrooms and onions to the skillet. I added the second to the last scoop of broth and let it absorb.

With last scoop of broth carefully stir in blueberries

One last scoop of broth and I added the blueberries to the skillet as well. I gently folded them in and let them heat through as the risotto absorbed the last drink of broth.

I taste tested and found it was fine without added salt. My broth had been salty enough. It seemed strange to not add the traditional Parmesan we like in our risotto but I’d read in someone else’s recipe that adding the cheese seemed wrong. The flavor profile didn’t taste right with the cheese. So I didn’t add it into my risotto either.

We loved the risotto just as it was. It did seem strange to not have the Parmesan flavor in it but on its own it was delicious. The mushrooms are always one of our favorite additions to risotto. Adding blueberries was definitely different, adding a little bit of sweetness here and there. Our berries were wild and sweeter than those you’d buy in a grocery store. It was good that there was the extra acid with all of the wine to balance the sweetness of the berries. We loved the overall flavors in each bite. I’d definitely make this again!

Mushroom Blueberry Risotto

1 cup onion; finely diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces sliced white button mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
5 cups beef broth; heated
2 cups Arborio rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups white wine (I used a Sauvignon blanc)
1 cup blueberries (mine were frozen)

Place beef broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.

Sauté onions until almost translucent in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté 3-4 minutes until they are browning but still firm. Set aside in a dish.

In the same skillet heat 2 more tablespoons of oil. Add rice and sauté over medium high heat until rice just begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine and simmer, stirring occasionally, until wine is absorbed.

Add a ladle at a time (About 3/4 a cup) add warm beef broth, allowing broth to absorb into the rice before adding the next ladle of broth. Continue adding and stirring until you have two ladles of broth remaining.

Add mushrooms and onions back into skillet along with a ladle of broth. Stir well and let rice absorb broth. Add final ladle of broth. Taste test for seasoning.

Stir in cup of blueberries gently. Let heat through as last ladle of broth is absorbed. Serve hot.

4-6 servings

Adapted from The Everyday Veggie