Sarah & I improvised this risotto this past weekend. There’s something wonderful about risotto that makes it the perfect food to improvise. I think we both looked at recipes at some point, but when it came down to it, we just started cooking and let the risotto go wherever the pantry took us.

We set out to make a spring risotto. Something light, and white. With peas. We ended up using mushrooms instead, and the risotto slowly drifted towards something a little too dark and rich to be springy, but too light and wonderful to be wintery.

We ended up with a beautifully creamy, deeply flavoured, and thoroughly addictive pot of ricey goodness. I could have had fifths, but we were planning on making brownies for dessert, so I had to exercise some self restraint after seconds. Maybe thirds. I’ll never tell.

Between Seasons Risotto

2 cups arborio rice, rinsed

2 tbsp olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada)
2 onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3–4 cremini mushrooms
1 tsp ground thyme or 1 tbsp thyme leaves
Salt & pepper

2L vegetable stock, warmed
1 tbsp rosemary leaves

2 tbsp butter
¼ cup white wine

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 cups baby spinach

Heat the olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada) in a large, heavy-bottom sauce pot, and sauté the onions, garlic, and mushrooms with the thyme. Season with salt and pepper and stir until reduced, browning a bit, and very fragrant

While the onions cook, heat the stock on the stove top in another pot with the rosemary leaves.

Once the onion mixture is done cooking, add the rice and the butter, and sauté until the rice is translucent around the edges. Add the wine and stir until it has been mostly absorbed/evaporated.

Slowly begin adding the stock, a ladle-full at a time, stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Then add more stock. And stir more. Repeat until the rice is cooked through. It should be al dente. That is, not tender all the way through. A little chewy in the centre of the grain. Stir in the spinach.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, stir in, and taste. Season as necessary.