Sometimes you just have to change things up. We love risotto but we usually make Risotto with Sherry Mushrooms which is delicious but we have it often enough it can feel like being in a rut. With the weather turning cool (there was a frost advisory last night) I wanted something a bit more rustic for our risotto. I was pleased with the result and it went very well with the steak.
After dinner we had to dash out into the cool evening and harvest what tomatoes we could and throw blankets and sheets over the peppers, cucumbers, and celery for the potential frost. I hope this doesn’t bode for an early winter. Winter last year was long enough! Not ready for the heat to go on just yet. 🙂
About an hour before grilling the steak I marinated it in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thyme and garlic. I seasoned the steak with salt and pepper. Whenever I do risotto I like to get everything prepped ahead of time so it goes smoothly. It’s not hard but it is a huge help having everything lined up. For this I warmed up 4 cups of vegetable bouillon in a pan and measured out a cup of arborio rice. I chopped half of a large red onion, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, prepped the fresh thyme, and sliced the mushrooms. I also grated about a cup of parmesan. The last ingredient needed would be the peas.
Melt about 2 tablespoons in a large skillet.
Once melted saute the onions for a couple of minutes and once they start to soften add in the garlic.
After another couple of minutes pour in the rice and stir well. At this point usually a 1/2 cup of wine or sherry goes in but that would be way too much with balsamic vinegar so just a few splashes of the vinegar will do here. Stir another couple of minutes.
I usually add the broth 1/2 -1 cup at a time letting it simmer. At this point I started grilling the steak. It was a thin steak so it only needed a couple of minutes per side.
Once the steak is done, remove and cover to let it rest until it is time to slice it.
Halfway through cooking the risotto I add the peas to cook because even though they are from our garden they have been frozen. Keep adding broth as the rice soaks it up. Also at this point taste test. If the broth is too salty dilute with some water. It worked well for me as I made the broth a little too concentrated.
At this point I saute the mushrooms. For this dish I love to use shiitake mushrooms. I heated up some olive oil and added the mushrooms and thyme. I saute until the mushrooms start to brown then I add them to the risotto.
I like to cook the risotto like they do in Italy. You don’t want it mushy, just a little al dente. Near the end of the cooking add in the cheese and stir well. It is now ready to serve. I sliced the steak thinly and placed it over the risotto.
It was a lovely meal that was perfect for our first real chilly night. 🙂
I love the look of this dinner! Risotto and steak, that would have been perfect for this rainy night!
Thank you! And thank for stopping by and following. I hope you get a chance to try this. 🙂
I’m sure I will!
It definitely looks like a perfect meal and lots of great combinations.
Thank you. 🙂
Very, very good risotto. I was going to have it last night, only to find that I’d run out of arborio:)
Thank you. The arborio is a staple in our pantry. But this reminds me I think we’re getting low so need to add it to the list! 🙂
I am totally making this! It looks so delicious! Thank you! 🙂
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Excellent thought. We had a simple mushroom risotto on Friday. Two kinds of mushrooms slow fried until they got very small and intense in flavour. I added these to the risotto towards the end. My approach differs in that at the end of cooking, I sprinkle the risotto with the cheese and dot it with butter. Then I put the lid on the pot and leave it for 5 minutes. Stir and enjoy. If we all did things the same way, there would be little need for blogs.
So true about the blogs. 🙂 I like you add some butter at the end as well.
Once again, Virginia, another lovely meal. I’m envious you are getting cooler climate because we are still smoking hot in DFW.
Thank you! We are going to get a mini-heatwave this week. I think the cooler weather is pretty much here though.
what a tasty meal! I like shiitake mushrooms a lot, but I’ve only been using them in stir fries so far, but I’ll have to give them a try in a risotto as well…maybe when it will cool down enough to bear sitting at the stove for so long 🙂
They are my favourite mushrooms. They still have the earthy flavour but not as strong as portobellos and others.
“Winter last year was long enough!” Ain’t that the truth!!! I am so not ready to give up on Summer yet. When I do, though, risotto will be on my menu, too. It’s such a great dish and yours is a very good way to prepare it, especially with those peas from your garden. Yum!
I prefer spring and autumn. 🙂 Apparently the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a cold winter again. Ugh.