Mushroom Spinach Risotto

The seder was Saturday night. Fourteen people. Marvin's chair was at the table, empty, his place set, his Haggadah open at his setting. Nobody sat in his chair. The chair was the fourteenth guest, the chair was Marvin, the chair was the presence of absence that is the defining condition of this year and every year that will follow.

Ethan asked the four questions. He is eight, strong, confident, the Hebrew practiced and sure. "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Because Grandpa's chair is empty and Grandpa is in Cedarhurst and the soup is fluffy and the brisket is perfect and the family is here and the family is incomplete and the incomplete is the truth and the truth is the table and the table holds it all — the food and the grief and the children and the joy and the absence and the presence and the matzo and the bitter herbs, which have never tasted more bitter than tonight.

After the seder, I drove to Cedarhurst. At ten-thirty at night. With a container of brisket and a matzo ball and a piece of charoset and a cup of wine. The staff let me in. I went to Marvin's room. He was sleeping. I sat beside his recliner and I unpacked the food and I put it on his nightstand and I said, quietly, "Chag sameach, Marv. The seder was beautiful. Ethan asked the four questions. Sophie held your hand — well, she held your chair. The brisket was perfect. I brought you some." He slept. I sat with him for an hour. I drove home. The roads were empty. The house was dark. The Passover dishes were in the sink. I washed them. I dried them. I put them away. I went to bed. I lay in the bed that is too big for one person and I thought: the chain didn't break. Not tonight. Not even tonight.

The brisket that night did its job — it held the table together the way only a dish made with that kind of intention can. But the recipe I keep coming back to, the one I make when I need the act of cooking to feel like something sacred, is this mushroom spinach risotto. There’s something about standing at the stove, adding the broth ladle by ladle, that demands your full presence — and some nights, full presence is exactly the discipline grief requires. I made this the week after Passover, for no one in particular, just to feel the rhythm of it, and to remember that the chain didn’t break.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
5 cups vegetable broth, kept warm
8 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Warm the broth. Pour the vegetable broth into a small saucepan and keep it at a gentle simmer over low heat throughout the cooking process. Warm broth is essential for proper risotto texture.
Saute the mushrooms. In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until golden. Stir and cook another 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining olive oil to the same pan. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Toast the rice. Add the Arborio rice to the pan and stir to coat in the oil. Toast for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the edges of the rice become slightly translucent.
Deglaze with wine. Pour in the white wine and stir constantly until it is fully absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Add broth gradually. Add the warm broth one ladleful (about 1/2 cup) at a time, stirring frequently and waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed before adding the next. Continue this process for 22–25 minutes, until the rice is creamy and cooked al dente. You may not need all the broth.
Finish with spinach and mushrooms. Stir in the fresh spinach and reserved mushrooms. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the spinach is wilted and the mushrooms are warmed through.
Stir in butter and Parmesan. Remove from heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the grated Parmesan, stirring vigorously until the risotto is glossy and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve immediately. Divide among warm bowls and garnish with extra Parmesan and a crack of black pepper if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mushroom Spinach Risotto — The Night I Brought the Seder to Marvin