Golden Chanterelle Risotto

It's after a mushroom hunting expedition, cool Fall weather just begging for a warm, tasty, filling meal - showing off some of the Golden Chanterelles we found. Risotto is a tradition in our family, right along with Chicken Noodle Soup, despite having no known Italian in our heritage... with that note, this may not even be a proper "risotto", though we enjoy it! (and, in case you cannot tell, I do not depend on food photography for my livelihood...)

Recipe:

1 medium onion, chopped fine
1-2 cups of chopped or sliced Golden Chanterelles
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1.5 cups of Arborio rice
0.5 cup of white wine
5.5 cups of homemade chicken broth (or low sodium commercial broth)
0.5 tsp. of salt
0.5 tsp. of fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp of fresh chopped celery hearts leaves
0.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Start with some Golden Chanterelles, enough when cleaned and diced to make about one to two cups of medium-diced mushrooms (we cut about 1/8" thick and perhaps 1/2" wide and 1" long at most - the thickness matters it seems, the rest is a matter of taste). Wash them (these are fine with being washed), trim off any bits that are imperfect, then dice.

Dice one medium yellow onion finely.

Add enough oil to a large pot to cover the bottom thinly (two tablespoons, more or less).

Add the onions and mushrooms. Apply heat and begin to brown the onions. When the onions are lightly carmelized, the mushrooms ought to be about right.

Add 1.5 cups of Arborio rice and stir to brown the rice, takes one to two minutes. The rice should be semi-transparent and the oil should be largely absorbed by the rice. Grains should be very lightly browned, at least in spots. There is a wide range of browning that is ok, though no need to overdo it - when in doubt, stop early.

Add 0.5 cup of white wine into the pot - there will be a lot of steam. Follow it by 1 cup of hot chicken broth (you need 5.5 cups of low-sodium or homemade broth) and start stirring, being careful to scrape the bottom of the pot often.

Every time the liquid level gets low, add more hot broth and keep stirring. It should take about half an hour on medium-high heat. This dish is an exercise program for your arms!

Once the rice is al-dente (you may not need all the broth, or may need a bit more - water is ok in a pinch), take it off the heat.

Stir in the chopped celery leaves, salt, Parmesan, and black pepper. Allow it to rest for a few minutes off the heat.

Stir once more and serve. Traditionally, more Parmesan is a good topping.

Enjoy!