I recently received a variety of rice from RiceSelect to sample. One of the samples was an arborio blend with mushrooms. We love risotto around here, so as soon as I saw this recipe for Roasted Mushroom Risotto I knew the arborio blend with mushrooms would be perfect.


This was an outstanding risotto. The roasted mushrooms had great flavor but I think my favorite part was the dried chanterelles. I was a little hesitant to buy them since half an ounce was $4.99, but it was well worth it. They added a great depth of flavor that really brought the whole dish together.


We love RiceSelect products (I'm a big fan of their pearl couscous, even though I haven't been able to find it for ages) so I knew their arborio would be a hit. And it was. Baby Girl, who up until this point has been hit or miss with mushrooms, positively loved this. She told me she was a big fan and cleaned her plate.

Roasted Mushroom Risotto
As seen on Rachel Cooks

1/2 ounce dried chanterelle mushrooms
24 ounces white mushrooms cut in halves or quarters
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups vegetable broth/stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (e.g. Chardonnay)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese more for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Place the dried chanterelle mushrooms and pour boiling water over them. Let them soak for twenty minutes. Drain and rinse, then set aside.

Place the white mushrooms on a large rimmed sheet tray and toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, thyme and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spread into a single layer and place in preheated oven. Roast for 15 minutes, stir, and roast for another 10-15 minute or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

In a deep, heavy skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the rehydrated chanterelles, garlic and onion and saute for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the rice and cook for another 2-3 minutes to toast the rice, stirring frequently.

Add the white wine and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of the simmering stock, and keep stirring nearly constantly, making sure to push down any rice stuck to the edges of the pans. Once the liquid is nearly absorbed, add another 1 cup of stock. Continue to do this until the rice is cooked but still slightly chewy, about 25 minutes. Taste the rice frequently to check the consistency.

Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter, Parmesan cheese and roasted mushrooms. Taste and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Serve immediately.

Disclaimer: I received free samples of RiceSelect rice. I was not paid to write this review and all opinions are my own.

Baby Girl loves to watch cooking shows on TV. I'll admit, the first time she told me she wanted to watch Lidia I shed a tear. When we aren't crazy busy with other activities we'll spend some quiet time Saturday afternoon watching cooking on PBS. That's pretty much how I developed my love of cooking so she's in good company.

One afternoon recently we were watching America's Test Kitchen and they made this recipe for Pasta alla Norcina. It had everything we love in one dish - pasta, mushrooms and sausage, with a touch of heavy cream thrown in to gild the lily. I immediately found the recipe online and printed it off.


This was my first time making orecchiette for Baby Girl and she couldn't get enough. She was eating the plain pasta right out of the colander after I drained it. SP told me I could make this once a week and he'd be happy. It may seem a little time consuming with all the steps (it wouldn't be an ATK recipe without all those steps) but the result is well worth it. And it really doesn't take that long to put together.

I doubled the recipe (printed below) so we'd have enough for leftovers the next day. This makes a lot - I'd say 6-8 servings if you have a veggie on the side - so the original recipe would probably work fine for a family of 4 without leftovers.

Pasta alla Norcina
From America's Test Kitchen

Kosher salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Pinch ground nutmeg
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed
10 teaspoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 lb orecchiette
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 teaspoons lemon juice

Grease a small dinner plate with vegetable oil spray. Dissolve 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the baking soda in 4 teaspoons water in a medium bowl. Add the pork and fold gently to combine; let stand for 10 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon pepper to pork and stir and smear with a rubber spatula until well combined and tacky, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer pork mixture to the greased plate and form into a 6-inch patty.

Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses.

Heat 4 teaspoons oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the sausage patty and cook without moving it until the bottom is browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until the second side is well browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer (very center of patty will be raw). Remove pan from heat, transfer sausage to cutting board, and roughly chop. Transfer sausage to bowl and add cream; set aside.

Cook pasta, drain and reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water.

While pasta cooks, return now-empty skillet to medium heat. Add 4 teaspoons oil, mushrooms, and pinch salt; cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 teaspoon oils, remaining garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, and ½ teaspoon pepper; cook until fragrant. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until completely evaporated. Stir in sausage and 1/3 cup reserved cooking water and simmer until meat is no longer pink, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in Pecorino until smooth.

Add sauce, parsley, and lemon juice to pasta and toss well to coat. Before serving, adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed and season with salt and pepper to taste.