This past Christmas I gave Rusty an oyster mushroom growing kit from “Back to the Roots,” an American organic gardening company. I became fascinated with these grow kits after several of my friends were posting photos of their amazing mushrooms on social media. At first, we were skeptical about whether the mushrooms would grow in a van. We had tried other “growing” projects, like sprouts, which didn’t work because of our lack of climate control.

Rusty decided to wait until we were settled in South Florida for the winter to start the mushroom-growing process. So, ten days ago, he opened the kit, soaked the growing matter as instructed, and sprayed daily with the included mister. In a few days the tiny ‘shrooms began to appear, and within a few more days were ready to harvest. They grew so fast, in fact, that we would check the mushrooms early in the day, and by early afternoon they had gotten bigger – they were literally growing right before our eyes!

Mushroom Risotto ~ the recipe

Such beautiful, fresh mushrooms needed to be part of a very special dinner, so I decided to make Mushroom Risotto with them. One of the key ingredients in this dish is white truffle oil, which takes this simple dish to the next level. Risotto requires a lot of stirring, which is much more fun to do when you’re sipping a glass of wine.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1 batch Back to the Roots oyster mushrooms (about 3-servings) sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ small onion, finely chopped
• Olive oil and white truffle oil
• Fresh nutmeg (and a nutmeg grater)
• ½ cup good dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth or plain water
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

In a skillet, sauté garlic and onion in a combination of white truffle oil and olive oil, about 2 tablespoons, until vegetables are fragrant. Then add mushrooms, stirring as mushrooms cook, adding more oil if needed. As mushrooms cook, add grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. When mushrooms are tender, remove from heat and keep warm.

To make the risotto, pour a tablespoon of white truffle oil into a saucepan, bring to heat, then add arborio rice and stir until all grains are coated and barely cooked, about 1 minute. Then add white wine and stir until alcohol burns off. While you’re preparing the risotto, heat the vegetable stock or water in another saucepan until it’s barely simmering. Ladle a bit of the stock into the rice and stir constantly until the rice absorbs the liquid, then add more stock. Keep doing this, ladling and stirring, until rice is completely cooked and tender, with a creamy consistency. This will take about 35 minutes. When rice is cooked, gently stir the mushroom mixture into the risotto. Ladle into bowls, and top with a drizzle of white truffle oil, and a bit more grated nutmeg. You can also add parmesan cheese if you like, or parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

For more information about Back to the Roots visit www.backtotheroots.com/products/mushroom-grow-kit.