Mushroom Risotto

Delicious way to illustrate that employing umami is a powerful way to decrease sodium while boosting taste!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword less sodium, msg recipe, mushroom, umami recipe

Servings 6

Author Chef Chris Koetke

1 ½ pounds assorted mushrooms diced (having a mix of different types of mushrooms improves the flavor of the risotto)
4 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic minced
2 cups arborio rice
1 bay leaf
¼ cup Madeira wine or dry Marsala
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth hot
1 ½ tsp. salt/MSG mixture
½ tsp. white pepper
½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
½ cup heavy cream whipped to soft peak

In a hot sauté pan, sauté the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until they are cooked through. Remove from the pan. Reserve.
In a large saucepan, sauté the onions over moderate heat in remaining butter until transparent. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the mushrooms, bay leaf, and rice and continue to cook over moderate heat for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the Madeira or Marsala wine and 1 cup of stock. Season the rice with salt/MSG mixture and pepper. Cook over moderate to low heat, stirring periodically with a wooden spoon until the broth is absorbed.
Continue to add the broth in 1 cup increments, adding more when the previous cup of broth is almost completely absorbed by the rice. Stir frequently, but gently as not to break the grains of rice.
When the rice is al dente, remove from heat and stir in the cheese. If the risotto is too stiff, add more liquid.
Fold in the cream, taste for seasoning and serve.

Photo credit: Flickr user, Joy