Vegan Porcini Risotto

Dairy lovers, before you eschew this recipe completely, remember that broth is really the star of a risotto, not butter. Here, you make an umami packed broth by soaking dried porcini in water, and finish it all with some ultra luxurious cashew cream. Missing parmesan? A tsp of miso paste adds that irresistibly salty-savory flavor. Because this recipe uses dried mushrooms, rice, cashews, and miso, you can basically make this if you haven’t been been to the grocery store in weeks!

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Makes 2 large portions

Ingredients

• 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms (shiitake would also work if you can’t find porcini)
• 3 cups boiling water
• 2.5-3 cups water mixed with 3 tsp of better than bouillon mushroom base, OR 2.5-3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbs olive oil 
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• ⅓ cup white wine 
• ½ tsp chopped tarragon
• ½ tsp chopped sage 
• 1 tsp miso paste 
• ¼ cup unsweetened cashew cream, store bought or recipe below 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cashew Cream

Makes ½ cup

• ½ cup cashews, soaked overnight in water and drained 
• ¼ cup water

1. Blend cashews and water until very smooth. Add more water if necessary to get the consistency of heavy cream. 

Instructions

1. Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and combine with 3 cups of boiling water. Let sit 1 hour. Use the waiting time to chop your vegetables. 
2. Place a strainer on top of a 3 quart saucier or saucepan. Drain the mushrooms over the pan so that the mushroom liquid fills the pot and the mushrooms get caught it the strainer. Combine the mushroom liquid with the remaining broth and heat to just below a simmer. Keep the broth at this temperature for the remainder of the cooking time. 
3. Rough chop the now rehydrated mushrooms into bite size pieces, discarding any tough stems. 
4. Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. 
5. Add the rice and saute for 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms. 
6. Add the wine, and stir regularly until the wine is almost all absorbed. 
7. Add 1 ladleful of stock to your rice. Cook over medium low, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon until the broth is absorbed. Adjust heat if the process is going too fast or two slow. 
8. Continue to add 1-2 ladlefuls of stock at a time after the last batch is absorbed. You might not need all of the stock, or you may need to add a bit more. Season and taste regularly throughout this process. 
9. After about 15-20 minutes, your rice should be nearing al dente. At this point, add the herbs. Continue to cook and add more stock until the rice is perfectly al dente and saucey. 
10. Add miso paste along with ¼ cup cashew cream. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Taste for seasoning and adjust. 
11.  Divide into 2 bowls, top with parsley, a drizzle of olive oi, and flakey sea salt.