MUSHROOM MARSALA RISOTTO (a 3-4 banana difficulty level)

Sometimes you decide to make something to impress someone.  Sometimes, you're sitting at a restaurant & the person across from you says, "I really like Chicken Marsala."

And you being 'anymonkeycan' decide to say, "I bet I can make a Mushroom Marsala Risotto."

And that other person say, "Wow!  That sounds great!!  I think you should make a Mushroom Marsala Risotto."

So guess what, today 'this monkey' will show you how to make a wonderful Mushroom Marsala Risotto.  This is basically 2 recipes in 1.  On 1 side, you make the Risotto & on the other side you make the Mushroom Marsala.

WHAT YOU NEED:
for the Risotto:
2 c Medium Brown Rice
4 c Vegetable Stock (can be chicken, mushroom etc)
**OPTIONAL 1/2 c Water (if you like your Risotta creamy)**
1 c White Wine
2 T Butter
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Shallots -Thinly sliced
Shredded Cheese to taste (Pecorino Romano was our choice)
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste


for the Mushroom Marsala
16 oz of Sliced Mushrooms (I used a mix of baby bella, portobello, shiitake)
4-5 Sprigs of Rosemary - chopped
2-3 T of Butter
1-2 T of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c of Marsala Wine (I use sweet, but lots of recipes call for dry)
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

WHAT YOU DO:
for the Risotto
1.  Pour the Stock (AND WATER IF YOU WANT CREAMY RISOTTO) into a Small Sauce pan, bring to a soft boil, then simmer over low heat.
2.  Melt the Butter & heat the Oil over MEDIUM heat in a large pan.  Add the Thinly Sliced Shallots & a sprinkle of salt, then "Sweat" them for about 4-5 minutes until they turn glassy.  Stir Frequently.

3.  Add the Rice & Stir Frequently for about 3-4 minutes

4.  Pour in the White wine, increase the heat to Medium High & stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes until most of the wine is absorbed.

5.  Pour ALL (RESERVE 1/2 C IF YOU WANT CREAMY RISOTTO) of the Stock from the Sauce Pan over the Rice; Reduce Heat to Medium Low; COVER, & cook for about 25-30 minutes.  Stir 2-3 times.

6.  **OPTIONAL STEP** For the CREAMY RISOTTA version, Add the Reserved 1/2 c of "Stock" into the Rice & stir Consistently for 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the Mushroom Marsala (BE SURE TO STIR THE RISOTTO OCCASIONALLY)
6.  Melt 1-2 T of Butter & Heat 1-2 T of Oil over MEDIUM heat in a large pot.
7.  Add just enough Mushrooms to form a single layer along the bottom of the pot.  YOU WILL PROBABLY NEED TO COOK THE MUSHROOMS IN AT LEAST 2 BATCHES.  Add a sprinkle of Salt & a pinch of the Chopped Rosemary.  Stir Occasionally.

8.  Cook the Mushrooms until, they absorb most of the Butter/Oil, then pour in some (or all if only 1 batch of 'shrooms) of the Marsala Wine

9.  Stir Occasionally & cook until the Marsala has reduced by about 1/2 (maybe 5-7 min)
10.  Combine your batches of 'shrooms if needed

11.  Dish up some of the Risotto, top with some of the Marsala Mushrooms, sprinkle with Cheese & enjoy!!

This REALLY isn't that difficult of a recipe.  The tricky part is managing 2 "recipes" then combining them at the end.  This is a GREAT tasting dish, but when you use Butter, Oil, & sweet Marsala Wine, it SHOULD be a great tasting dish!

I roughly follow the Cook's Illustrated Risotto Recipe that makes it a bit less, high maintenance.  Arboria Rice is frequently called for in Risotto Dishes.  I opted for the Medium Brown Rice.  I like the earthiness of it.  It probably added about 10 minutes extra to the Risotto cooking portion compared to using Arboria Rice.

Try different Herbs for the Rosemary.  I used Rosemary because I have a Rosemary Bush in my backyard.  I think Sage, Parsley, Thyme might work well with this.  Give it a go & see what happens!

Remember, 'anymonkeycan' make a great tasting 'Mushroom Marsala Risotto' because 'this one' just did!

Until next time, your favorite neighborweb monkey!