Garlicky Pork and Mushroom Risotto

Submitted by FlemishMinx

"I won't kid you: this is no "fast-n-e-z" risotto recipe, but one that is well worth the effort. Italian comfort food at its best! So pour yourself a nice glass of wine (perhaps the one you are using in the recipe) while you're in the kitchen and enjoy yourself while creating this gift of love :) Preparation time does not include time to chill pork before slicing."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 250 g lean pork (thick boneless pork chops, for example)
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, flattened but still in one piece
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 225 g uncooked arborio rice
• 1 1⁄4 liters water
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes (low sodium, if possible)
• 1⁄2 cup cream
• 1⁄2 cup dry white wine (suitable for drinking)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon paprika
• 50 g finely grated parmesan cheese (the good stuff)
• 500 g fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1⁄2 cup parsley, finely chopped
• pepper

directions

1. Slice the pork AGAINST the grain as thinly as possible;.
2. if using un-frozen pork, place it in the freezer beforehand for 30 minutes to one hour which will make this much easier (if using pre-frozen pork, simply slice it before it is completely thawed).
3. Heat 1 TBS of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pan (I use a non-stick one), and when it is hot, add the flattened garlic clove.
4. Fry the garlic till it is browned, then remove and discard.
5. Add the pork slices and quickly stir-fry till completely cooked through (just a few minutes); remove and set aside.
6. Heat the butter and remaining olive oil in the pan.
7. Add the onion and minced garlic and saute just until the garlic becomes fragrant.
8. Add in the rice and mix well to coat the grains with the oil.
9. While doing this, bring the water with chicken bouillon cubes added to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a low simmer.
10. Using a one-cup ladle, add enough of the simmering broth just to cover the rice, adjusting the heat under the rice so that it is at a low simmer.
11. As the rice absorbs this liquid, add another ladleful of the simmering broth to the rice, stirring as needed and repeatedly adding more broth just as the previous amount is absorbed by the rice (but never allowing the rice to go completely dry); this process will take 30-45 minutes, but can't be rushed.
12. After the last of the bouillon is absorbed, the rice will be cooked and creamy in consistency.
13. Add in the cream, wine, paprika and cheese and mix well.
14. Add in the mushrooms, parsley and pork slices, again mixing well.
15. Allow to simmer an additional 2-3 minutes, to heat everything through and till the mushrooms just begin to wilt but not cook.
16. Add pepper if needed, then serve immediately.

Reviews

[slatescapes]

I created an account in order to write a review of this recipe. It's a good start but it has some critical flaws. The recipe only calls for about half the amount of rice it should. Use 400 grams, which should be about two cups. Saute the mushrooms well. I'm not sure why the author doesn't want the mushrooms to cook. It's a risotto, not a salad. Add the wine right after you have sautéed the rice. Stir until it has been absorbed, then begin adding the broth in the same way. While I'm not against playing around and changing traditional techniques, adding the wine at this stage changes the rice and makes it more permeable to the liquid. It also gives it a chance to cook and become a complex flavor in the finished dish. I'm not sure what the purpose of throwing it in at the end is. Salt the poem and let it sit a few minutes before you cook it. I used homemade chicken stock instead of bouillon. You could use bouillon, but if you have stock, homemade or otherwise, I highly recommend it instead. All in all it's a good recipe IDEA, it just needs some work on execution.

 

[Gatour]

I really enjoyed this and made it almost exactly as listed. The only exceptions was that I used a box of low sodium chicken broth and did not use the lb of shrooms that the recipe translated to. As another poster said the amount of chicken stock listed was more than enough. I heated up a box of stock and then as I added stock to the risotto, decided to add about a half a cup of water to the stock, this turned out to be the perfect amount. Now to the shrooms, I converted all of the gram measures to lb/oz and they seemed to be perfect except for the shrooms. 500 grams converted to about 1 lb shrooms which were way too many. 1/2 lb would be about right even though even that looks like a lot on the cutting board, they cook down nicely.

 

[PaulaG]

When I converted this to US measurements, it said I needed 5 1/3 cups--no way. I used 4 cups and the risotto was nice and creamy. I did not use the bouillon cubes but used a soup base instead. Added a little more paprika than the recipe called for and yes topped it off with the "good" parmesan cheese. DS paid this the highest compliment of all as he took leftovers home with him. :)

 

[ellie_]

Very good. I had some problems with the measurement conversions and I also used Gruyere cheese in place of the Parmesan, but still a very delicious simple supper. Thanks for sharing!