Mushroom Scampi with Leek & Spinach Risotto
Hi and Happy New Year!!! Welcome to The Half-Baked Potato! Come with me as we celebrate the flavors, traditions, and recipes from the various regions of this beautiful and culturally diverse country. What better way to start this journey than to ring in the new year with the food and fun that surrounds the one day that everyone around the globe celebrates!?! This New Year's dinner menu of Mushroom Scampi with Leek & Spinach Risotto is the first in a series that's dedicated to the bounty of a plant-based California cuisine.
Mushrooms: While California isn't the nation's leader in mushroom production, we come in 2nd to Pennsylvania. California loves its mushrooms!!! Whether forged from under the canopy of the coastal redwood forests, purchased from a local farmers' market, or in the cart of groceries from your favorite store, California touts a wide variety of culinary mushrooms that make great additions to a plant-based diet. Although their meaty texture makes them a good substitute for chicken, fish, shrimp and some types of shellfish, mushrooms are not the best substitute for protein. In spite of the lack of protein in these amazing fungi, many mushrooms are rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants, beta gluten (a soluble fiber that aids in blood sugar regulation), several of the B vitamins, and potassium (a vital nutrient involved in muscle and nerve function).
Fun Fact: Fish and oysters are often eaten on New Year's Day to bring about luck and prosperity in the new year.
Spinach: Growing in the fertile soils of the central coast and San Joaquin Valley regions, California is the biggest producer of spinach in the United States. Spinach has many health benefits that include cancer-fighting antioxidants, benefits to eye health, and helps reduce blood pressure. While many of us know spinach as a good source of iron, it is also high in vitamin C, which helps in the uptake of iron.
But, wait! There's more...
Spinach contains vitamin K (helps with blood clotting) and folic acid (essential to cell function and tissue growth); two very important vitamins for women who are pregnant and of child-bearing age.
Fun Fact: While spinach grows easily in many parts of California, this delicate leafy green is a native plant to Iran and is related to beets and quinoa.
Wine: While the heart of California's wine country is considered Napa Valley, there are several regions throughout the state that have made a name for themselves in the arena of world-renowned wines. From Napa in the north to San Bernardino in the south, many parts of California enjoy a very Mediterranean climate and just the right soil conditions for growing grapes that are on par with many Italian wines (which are my absolute favorite wines!). Of course, this is just my personal opinion that may or may not be influenced by my Italian heritage and my California roots (wink! wink!).
The Recipe:
Mushroom Scampi with Leek and Spinach Risotto
The Risotto:
Ingredients: | Directions: |
1 tablespoon vegetable oil* 2 tablespoons vegan butter 3 shallots, chopped 2 leeks, thinly sliced 5 cloves garlic, crushed 1 cup Arborio rice** 1/2 cup dry white wine*** 4 cups vegetable broth, warmed**** 1 tsp fresh thyme 1/2 cup shredded vegan parmesan 2 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach Zest from 1 lemon Season to taste with salt | Trim leeks. Split lengthwise. Thinly slice. Place in calendar. Thoroughly rinse to remove any sand and grit. Chop the shallots. Crush the garlic.
In a medium pot, heat the vegetable stock.
Over medium heat, melt vegan butter with the oil. Sauté leeks, shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until the leeks become soft and slightly translucent.
Add rice to the vegetables and stir to coat. Continue to cook and stir until you see brown bits form on the bottom of the pan. (A.K.A., deglazing the pan)
Add wine and stir to scrape up the brown bits and wine has cooked down and been absorbed.
Add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth at a time, being sure to cook and stir while the liquid absorbs.
Halfway through adding the broth, add the thyme and stir.
The risotto is done when it's nice and creamy and the rice is al dente. Remove from heat. Add spinach and stir until it's completely mixed in. Add vegan parmesan and the lemon zest. Season to taste. Cover and set aside while we prepare the mushrooms. |
* For this recipe, I did use olive oil. However, feel free to use whatever vegetable oil suits you best.
**Arborio rice is a special kind of rice. It is an Italian short-grained rice that grows in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. Arborio rice has a higher starch content that makes the pot creamy and slightly chewy, or al dente. This consistency is what distinguishes Arborio from other types of rice.
***If you do not consume alcohol, then the wine can easily be replaced with an extra 1/2 cup of broth. It's not a deal breaker for this dish.
****Warming the broth before adding it to the rice is a step worth sticking to. Warm broth ensures even and consistent cooking. If adding cold broth, then the pot is continually heating up and cooling down. This can change the consistency of the rice. And, then...
Well...
It's just not risotto anymore.
The Marinade:
Ingredients: | Directions: |
1 cup warm vegetable broth 1 tablespoon soy sauce* 1 tablespoon miso paste** 1 teaspoon maple syrup 1 sheet of nori, crumbled | Whisk together all the ingredients and set aside. |
* If you are gluten-free and/or trying to avoid soy, coconut aminos make a good substitution.
** If you are trying to avoid soy, the miso paste can be omitted.
The Mushrooms:
1 pound button, cremini, or King Oyster mushrooms* |
* If using King Oyster mushrooms, slice stems into thick 1 inch slices to mimic scallops. This adds a nice touch to the presentation of this dish.
The Garlic-Herb Butter:
Ingredients: | Directions: |
1/4 cup vegan butter 3 cloves garlic paste 1 large handful minced flat-leaf parsley Juice from 1 lemon Salt to taste* | In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic, parsley, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt. Set aside. |
*In my videos, you won't see me use a lot of salt in my food, as I'm sensitive to the sodium.
To Serve:
To serve this mouth-watering delight, place a bed of risotto on your plate. Spoon the mushrooms on top of the risotto and drizzle with the Garlic-Herb Butter.
The wine I chose to use in the risotto is a dry, white wine called, Mauro Sebaste Gavi. While my intention is to showcase California, I couldn't pass this one up. It's a medium bodied, Northern Italian wine that pairs very well with the richness of the risotto, the earthiness of the mushrooms, and the fresh lift of the citrus in the butter sauce. If looking for a more local wine, a nice sauvignon blanch will never steer you wrong with this dish.
Enjoy!
Next episode:
In my family, we always ate our salad after the main course. After a rich meal, a nice Crunchy Winter Salad that combines tangy and bitter, crunchy and silky is the perfect way to cleanse the palette and aid in digestion. Come see how to make this colorful collage of flavors and textures in the next episode!
Resources:
https://beef2live.com/story-ranking-states-produce-mushrooms-0-225577
https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/7212.pdf
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