Fall Risotto with Chanterelles and Late Harvest Tomatoes

I may be getting a little ahead of myself with this fall recipe, but being the market after labor day and taking into consideration the mid-winter character of yesterday’s sky—I’m feeling this autumnal shift…

This recipe comes to us by way of Mariquita Farm in Watsonville, CA. Mariquita is a CSA and a great online resource for cooking and farming. (http://www.mariquita.com/index.html)

Ingredients:

• Stock (vegetable, chicken, or ‘tomato mushroom on p. 157 if you own this book)
• 1/2 pound fresh chanterelles or other mushrooms
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• S & P
• 2 medium sized leeks, white parts only, cut in half length-wise, thinly sliced, and washed, about 3 cups
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine (dry, not a super sweet wine!)
• 1/2 pound tomatoes, cored, seeded, chopped
• 1 Tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Pour the stock into the saucepan, bring it to a boil, and reduce it to 6 cups. Keep the stock warm over very low heat.
2. Using a brush or a damp cloth, carefully clean the mushrooms. Remove the dirt and bits of organic matter, but don’t wash them, or they’ll soak up the water and lose their delicate flavor. Trim off the base of the stem if it is particularly dirty and discard. Cut the mushrooms into large pieces or thickly slice them, being sure to include the stem.
3. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet; add the chanterelles, 1/4 teaspoon salt, a few pinches of pepper, and 1/4 cup stock. Gently saute over medium heat until the mushrooms are barely tender. (cooking time depends…) Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
4. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter; add the leeks, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of pepper. Saute over medium high heat until the leeks begin to wilt, about 3 minutes. Cover the pan and steam the leeks until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.