Mushroom Risotto

 

This risotto recipe comes from allrecipe.com. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/gourmet-mushroom-risotto/detail.aspx

 The recipe author notes that it is important to check the rice by biting into it. It should be slightly al dente or resist slightly to the tooth but not be hard in the center.

Risotto rice can be hard to find not in a box mix. I bought this risotto from Angelo Tosi's in downtown Vancouver (see previous post for more details).  

 

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken broth, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Angelo Tosi's Heritage Italian Grocery Store

 Today I went to Tosi Italian Food Importers, an Italian grocery store owned by a man named Angelo Tosi. It is quite the place! The business was started by Angelo's father and has been in the family for 111 years.  The two-story building housing the store is in the heart of Chinatown and is the only remaining structure of the original Woodwards store. According to Angelo's store website, in the past the area had many Italian shops, however, between 1930-1960 the Portuguese and Chinese arrived and bought most of the houses in the area. As Chinatown began to grow, Angelo remembers it being extraordinarily beautiful, and recalls such things as people smoking water pipes amongst all of the fresh produce they were selling.

I'm really glad I had a chance to meet Angelo and see the store since the business may not be in operation for too much longer. The Vancouver city council is considering rezoning parts of Chinatown for highrises, and Angelo's store is in the middle of one of the blocks likely to be redeveloped.

Angelo is 79 years old and his father worked for the business until he died at the age of 85. Angelo told me that he eats a tablespoon of lecithin every day and adds dandelions to his salads to keep the blood in his veins flowing quickly. He also told me I was going to make love to the olive oil I bought from him when I put it on salad and that his canned tomatoes are so good that if I'm a good cook the second I open them I'll be able to smell how delicious they are. He gave me a sample of his yummy organic parmesan cheese and I also bought some of his bulk olives and a chunk of salami prosciutto for Cole to try. I'm looking forward to eating well this weekend:)

The Vancouver Sun published an article about Angelo and his business in April, 2011:

 http://www.vancouversun.com/Tosi+Chinatown+heritage+classic+classic/4585795/story.html#ixzz1VWUq34XR

The things I bought! The boxes at the back are risotto. the darker box is the higher quality of the two. I love the balsamic vinegar bottle. Planning to make hazelnut gelato with the hazelnuts. Everything was very reasonably priced, I spent less than $50 for everything here.