Bone Broth Risotto with Mushrooms and Crispy Shallots

Bone Broth Risotto is rich, satisfying, and perfect for cold winter nights. This recipe takes a little time from start to finish, but I find it wonderfully relaxing to make. Just get all your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin cooking, and the rest is a breeze! It’s also a delicious way to get all the benefits of bone broth into you and your family!

Ingredients:

For the crispy fried shallots:

• 2 large or 3-4 medium shallots, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch thick slices (you want about 1½ - 2 cups sliced shallots, so if yours are particularly small, you may need more of them)*
• vegetable oil, for frying
• ½ tsp. kosher salt (or ¼ tsp. fine grain sea salt)

For the risotto:

• 2 TBSP butter, divided
• 2 TBSP olive oil, divided
• 6 - 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I used a mix of shiitake, oyster, and enoki mushrooms, but almost any can be used here. Stop by the Boulder County Farmers Market and see our friends at Hazel Dell (https://www.hazeldellmushrooms.com)—they curate just the right mix for you!
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• ¾ cup white wine (whatever you like to drink—I like Vouvrey, a light, slightly sweet wine)
• 2 cups Boulder Broth bone broth 
• 2 cups water, or more broth, or chicken or other kind of stock**
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 2-3 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the crispy shallots:

1. Pour about 1 inch of oil into a small saucepan, and add the sliced shallots. The oil should just cover all of the shallots. Stir in the salt, and place over medium-high heat. Let cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until they've turned golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn, and stir gently every once and awhile so they cook evenly. They'll start to turn brown at the edges after about 6-8 minutes, and will go really quickly after that, so don't walk away -- as soon as they turn an even shade of golden brown, remove them using a frying spider (like this) or a heat-proof slotted spoon, and let them drain on a paper towel lined plate.

For the risotto:

1. Pour the bone broth and water (or more broth or stock) into a saucepan and set over low heat to warm up.
2. Add 1 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and a small pinch of salt, and cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened and turned golden in some places. Add the garlic, and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring to keep the garlic from burning. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
3. To the same pan, add the remaining butter and olive oil. Add the arborio rice, and stir to coat all the grains with oil. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, to toast the grains. The edges of the rice should become slightly translucent. If they start to brown, turn down the heat.
4. Add the white wine, and stir constantly until the liquid has almost completely absorbed/evaporated.
5. Add one ladle full of the warm broth/water to the pan, and again, stir constantly until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Continue adding a lade full at a time, letting the liquid absorb between each addition, stirring anywhere from frequently to constantly. (You may have heard that risotto needs to be stirred constantly, but seriously, nothing bad will happen if you switch hands or pour yourself a glass of wine. In fact, I recommend it!) Risotto typically takes about 25 minutes to make. If you find your broth is taking a long time to absorb into the rice, turn the heat up a little. If it's evaporating almost immediately, turn the heat down.
6. When you're almost out of broth, taste the rice for doneness. A "proper" risotto should have a tiny bit of chew left to it. If the rice is too chewy for your taste, continue adding the last of the broth. If not, then you're good to go.
7. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the peas, parsley, and thyme. Season to taste salt and pepper, and stir in the cooked mushrooms.
8. Serve, and top with crispy shallots at the last moment. Enjoy!

Notes

* Be careful not to slice your shallots too thinly, or else they'll burn and turn bitter. Try to slice them all as evenly as possible, so they cook and become crisp at the same time.

** Because Boulder Broth’s bone broth is so much richer than most on the market, you can get away with diluting it 50/50 with water. However, if you want a richer risotto, feel free to use 100% bone broth, or use a mix of bone broth and chicken or veggie stock for more flavor.

*** I’m not gonna lie, subbing in a dry, crisp white wine in place of about ½c of broth will definitely give the flavor a certain depth!