Oven-Baked Risotto with Mushrooms

Since getting on the risotto bandwagon last year (I make it 1-2 times a week now!), I’ve wanted to try an oven-baked risotto. I chose a recipe from my Rice and Risotto cookbook by Paragon Publishing (2010 edition), with a few tweaks of my own added in.

The verdict: Though this risotto was good, it wasn’t quite as tasty as a stovetop mushroom risotto. So this would be a good choice for those who are new at risotto, as a stepping stone to the stove-top version. If you’re already comfortable making risottos, I would suggest to skip ahead to my favourite stove-top risotto, Chicken & Mushroom Risotto – you will love me for it!

Whichever recipe you choose, if you can get your hands on some white or black truffle oil, it will add an extra BAM! to your risotto. Though it’s a bit pricey, you only need a drizzle to transform a meal into a luxurious, melt-in-your-mouth dish. Definitely a good splurge!

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups of diced portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 cup of pancetta or smoked bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups of Aborio rice
• 4 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 2 tbsp of Italian parsley
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup of parmesan cheese, plus a little extra for garnish

Directions

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat half of the oil in a large, heavy bottom skillet over high heat.
• Add mushrooms and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until golden. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add the pancetta or bacon, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and add to the mushrooms in the bowl.
• Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
• Reduce the heat, add the rice and mix to coat in oil. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the grains are translucent.
• Slowly stir in the stock and wine, and then add the mushroom and pancetta mixture and parsley. Season to taste. Bring to a boil, and then transfer mix to an oven-proof dish.
• Cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
• Uncover and stir in parmesan and bake for another 15 minutes or until the rice is creamy.
• Top with some extra parmesan and serve. For bonus points, drizzle with a little bit of truffle oil for that extra BAM!

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