Risotto with Arugula, Mushrooms, and Gruyere

I love risotto and we eat it 2-3 times a month. Every time we grill steaks Jon requests risotto. I have tried a ton of different variations, and am always looking for and trying new ingredients.

Over the weekend I came up with some new ideas, and decided to make risotto with arugula, mushrooms, and Gruyere cheese. I used my standard recipe and just added these ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 c arborio rice
• 1/4 c dry white wine
• 4 c warm chicken broth
• 2 handfuls arugula, about 1/2 of a bag
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Gruyere cheese, about 1/3 c

Directions

• Heat oil and butter in a large saute pan
• Add shallots and garlic, saute 2 min
• Add mushrooms, saute 2 min
• Add rice and toss until coated, about 2 min
• Add white wine and stir until wine has absorbed
• Add broth, 1-2 ladles at a time. Once you start this step, you have about 17-18 minutes left until you use all the broth. Continue adding the broth; once you have used 3/4 of the broth, keep tasting the rice to see if it is done. It will be tender but not too mushy.
• When you add the final ladle of broth, add the arugula and cheese. Stir until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

This is my risotto when I added the final ladle - just a touch more liquid to be absorbed.

I loved the nuttiness of the arugula with the earthy flavor from the mushrooms - great combination. And the Gruyere cheese evened it all out - delicious!

Along with our steaks and risotto, we had some white asparagus, something I have seen a lot in the stores but have never cooked. I tossed it with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted it for 15 min on 400. I found that it took longer to roast than green asparagus, and had a more bitter flavor than the green variety, but was sweeter towards the tougher ends. We both agree that we prefer green asparagus, but it was nice to try something new.

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