Mushroom Risotto
Nothing beats homemade risotto! So elegant, rich and oh so velvety-creamy, made with white wine, thyme, and fresh Parmesan.
Making risotto at home does not have to be intimidating at all. All you need is an assortment of mushrooms, a nice white wine, freshly grated Parmesan, and a little bit of time and patience.
The key to a good risotto is to cook it on a low simmer, stirring constantly, and adding the stock gradually to let the rice fully absorb all that flavor and goodness for the creamiest texture.
You can use your favorite kind of mushrooms here, and you can save a little bit of the garlicky, buttery mushroom mixture as a topping for serving alongside some freshly shaved Parmesan. It will make all of the difference.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS
- Use a variety of mushrooms. Using different mushrooms – cremini, baby bella, chanterelles, shiitake or oyster mushrooms – adds depth of flavor and texture to the risotto.
- Do not rinse the rice prior to using. Typically it is recommended to rinse rice under cold water to remove any excess starch. In this case, the excess starch is essential to risotto, providing its creamy consistency. Removing the starch (washing the arborio rice) can lead to gummy risotto.
- Toast the rice. Toasting the rice beforehand will add a nutty richness to the rice. Watch out for burnt grains.
- Make it vegetarian. Vegetable stock can be used for the chicken stock.
- Stir in more stock with leftovers. When reheating leftovers, stir in more stock as needed as the rice will continue to soak up the broth.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH RISOTTO
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- Brown Butter Scallops
- Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
- Salmon with Garlic Cream Sauce
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
Dutch oven
MUSHROOM RISOTTO: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Cremini, baby bella, chanterelles, shiitake or oyster mushrooms are all great options. You can use an assortment or just one variety.
We recommend using a crisp, dry wine such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.
The wine helps balance out the flavors a bit as its natural acidity helps cut through the richness of the dish. However, a little bit of lemon juice with vegetable broth can also be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
Risotto will not hold up very well in the freezer and can result in a grainy texture when reheated.
Recipe
Yield: 6 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Ingredients
Equipment
Dutch Oven
Instructions
1. Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside 1 cup mushroom mixture; keep warm.
3. Stir in rice and thyme, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Stir in wine, stirring constantly and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven, until almost completely absorbed, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to low. Stir in 1 cup stock mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until almost completely absorbed.
6. Continue adding remaining stock mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and waiting until almost completely absorbed before adding additional stock mixture, until al dente, about 20 minutes.
7. Stir in Parmesan; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
8. Serve immediately with the reserved mushroom mixture and additional Parmesan, if desired.
9. Heat chicken stock and 1 teaspoon salt in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer.
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