As I have said in previous posts, we did some entertaining over the last couple of weeks so it gave me the opportunity to try out some new recipes. One thing I made when we had a friend over for dinner was a nice gluten-free dish of Fall vegetable risotto. I have gotten more ambitious lately in trying to make risotto and I think for the most part it has turned out pretty well with good results. There is some work and care that needs to go into the dish, but the results are quite worth it. This original recipe is from Williams-Sonoma, though I did alter it slightly and omitted the blue cheese from the recipe and substituted Parmesan cheese instead. We’re not big blue cheese eaters here in our house, but I have included it in the original recipe here.

Fall Vegetable Risotto

5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

10 ounces Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/4 pound shitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced

Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted (optional)

in a saucepan, bring the chicken or vegetable broth to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until they are a bright green color and almost tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the Brussels sprouts to a bowl and set aside. Reduce the heat on the broth to low.

In a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until it is a golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the arborio rice and stir until the rice turns opaque, about 1 minute. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed. Add about 3/4 cup of the warmed broth and adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles and is absorbed slowly. Cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed. Continue cooking, adding the broth about 3/4 cup at a time and stirring frequently until the rice is just tender but slightly firm in the center and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Mix in the Brussels sprouts, blue cheese and a generous amount of pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Spoon the risotto into warmed shallow bowls or plates, sprinkle with the walnuts (if using), and serve.

A couple of notes about this recipe. As I stated, I used Parmesan instead of a blue cheese and I think the results were fine. I also omitted the walnuts as well but feel free to add them in if you like them and want the added crunchy texture. I also substituted water for the white wine in the recipe and it was fine. Finally, I could not get my hands on any shitake mushrooms locally so I just used sliced white mushrooms instead. I think they worked out well though if you can get shitakes, I would use them as I like the look and flavor of them myself. The risotto came out nicely and was very creamy. I loved the flavor of the Brussels sprouts in the mix and everyone seemed to enjoy the dish, I actually used this as a side dish to the meal, but this  could be a meal all on its own if you were going for a meat free meal and just serve this with a salad on the side and I think it would be nice. It could then be vegetarian if use vegetable broth and gluten-free.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. There is still plenty more to come, as always. Thanks for following along and if you ever have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment here, or send me a message on Facebook or Twitter or at my email address of IguanaFlats@msn.com. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!