Mushroom Risotto with Garlic Scapes
Megan Hobza
Conventional risotto is made with white rice, cream, butter and cheese, stirred for an hour on low heat. It’s no mystery that risotto is so universally beloved; essentially, it’s a sophisticated mac and cheese dish. The creamy richness and the time it takes to cook make it a special treat.
So, we decided to make a healthy risotto. We were very sneaky though; you’d never know it was good for you. This vegan risotto recipe is creamy, rich, delicious and deceiving. I very much doubt your guests will ever guess it’s vegan, or that most of the rice is brown.
The major flavor notes are garlic, lemon, mushroom and parmesan – a broad spectrum of distinctive but complementary tastes. The parmesan-ish flavor is a combination of olive oil, stirred creamy rice, wine and nutritional yeast. If young garlic isn’t available to you, you can replace it with conventional garlic.
Mushroom Risotto with Garlic Scapes
- ¾ cup cooking oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 bunch (3-4 heads) young garlic with scapes (garlic greens) attached; chop heads and scapes but keep them separate
- 1½ cups short grain brown rice
- ½ cup Arborio rice
- 1½ cup good quality dry white wine
- 6 cups light vegetable stock
- Grated zest of 4 organic lemons
- ½ lb. mushrooms, sliced, or 1 pkg. dry mushrooms
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup vegan sour cream (see recipe below)
- 3 big handfuls of greens, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½ cup toasted, salted raw sunflower seeds, for garnish
If you are using dry mushrooms, put them in a quart jar of filtered water for at least four hours before cooking. The water from the reconstituted mushrooms will be used as part of your stock.
Heat ½ cup cooking oil in a large, heavy stock pot over medium heat, then add the onion, shallots, and garlic heads (reserve one garlic head for mushrooms). Add salt and pepper. Stir constantly, for about 4 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
Add the brown and Arborio rice to the pot and stir until coated with a nice sheen, then add 1 cup white wine and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid a bit. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle, active simmer.
In increments, add about 6 cups of stock (and mushroom water if applicable), 1 cup at a time, letting the rice absorb most of the liquid between additions; this should take around 40 minutes altogether. Stir regularly so the grains on the bottom of the pan don’t scorch. You will know when the rice is cooked because it won’t offer up much resistance when chewing.
While your rice is cooking, use a heavy-bottomed sauté pan to sauté mushrooms (fresh or reconstituted) and reserved head of garlic (chopped) in ¼ cup cooking oil, with salt and pepper. When browned, create a glaze by adding ½ cup white wine. Stir mushrooms into rice in stock pot.
While mushrooms are cooking, use a heavy-bottomed sauté pan to brown sunflower seeds. Stir often. Salt lightly when seeds are browned and shiny with exuded oil.
When the rice is tender remove the pot from heat. Stir in the lemon zest, chopped garlic scapes, nutritional yeast, and vegan sour cream. Taste and adjust – add more salt if needed. Then stir in the greens. Garnish with toasted sunflower seeds.
Serves 8 as an entree.
Tofu Sour Cream
1 package silken tofu
1 tablespoon salad oil
4 to 5 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon jaggery or other sweetener
½ teaspoon salt
Blend in food processor until creamy. Reserve unused portion in sealed container in refrigerator for up to ten days.