5 Simple Substitutions for Risotto with Mushrooms

Use the dried mushrooms or not, and substitute one of the following for the fresh mushrooms.

1. Fresh peas or cut-up snow peas, sugar snap peas, asparagus, or green beans Parboil (see page 150) in salted water until bright and just tender (1 to 5 minutes, depending on the vegetable); rinse in cold running water to stop the cooking; drain; stir into the risotto at the last minute.
2. Broccoli or cauliflower Cut or break into small florets and parboil very quickly, just until tender; cook in butter for a minute or 2; stir in at the last minute.
3. Beets, turnips, potatoes, carrots, or other root vegetables Cut into small cubes and parboil just until tender; cook quickly in butter until lightly browned; stir in at the last minute. Or use leftovers.
4. Sturdy greens like chard, collards, or kale Cut out the stems and chop or cut into ribbons; parboil in salted water until bright and just tender (1 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the leaves); rinse in cold running water to stop the cooking; drain; stir into the risotto at the last minute.
5. Tender greens like arugula, spinach, watercress, or sorrel Chop (or not) and add instead of the cooked mushrooms in Step 4.

Making Risotto Vegan

It’s easy enough to use oil and skip the cheese but a little trickier to duplicate the creaminess they lend to the dish. Replacing some of the stock or water with rice, oat, or nut milk (specifically hazelnut or almond) will help a lot, though they’re all slightly sweet and none is entirely neutral in flavor; soy milk, in fact, is too strong.