My winter risotto typically has butternut squash and shiitake mushrooms. I make a stock with dried burdock and shiitake mushrooms, black peppercorns, bay leaves & a variety of root vegetables. Since one of my regular personal chef clients doesn’t eat carrots, I have to be flexible and creative. And I love that.
We created a menu based on the bountiful, seasonal, organic, local harvest.
I was out of fresh shiitake mushrooms and offered to substitute Jerusalem artichokes. Little did we know, he would prefer it that way.
When I teach cooking classes, I also encourage folks to be create their own recipes.“Go wild” in their kitchens mixing and matching ingredients based on their local harvest, what they have in stock, their mood, food preferences and what excites them.
And as the seasons change, I swap vegetables, herbs and spices in the risotto and in the stock I make.
Below is a risotto with greens and shiitake mushrooms that I created for the Teff Company.
