4 cups wild mushrooms (oyster, cremini, shiitake, king oyster), sliced
1¼ cups carnaroli or arborio rice
9 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive or extra-virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, finely diced
sprinkle kosher salt
½ cup dry white wine (such as pinot grigio)
½ cup dry vermouth
6 cups chicken stock, chicken broth or vegetable broth
½ cup grated Parmesan
To serve:
sautéed mushrooms
grated Parmesan
flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
black pepper, optional
Takes ,
serves 4.
Instructions
Soak dried porcini mushrooms in 1 cup of warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and strain soaking liquid, reserving to the side. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
Combine mushroom liquid with wine and vermouth and reserve.
Bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, then reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat.
Prepare the risotto: Place a large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter then add mushrooms in an even layer. Season with kosher salt and cook, tossing often until browned. Transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat cooking in batches until all of the mushrooms are browned. Add the chopped porcini mushrooms to the bowl and toss. Reserve ¼ cup of the quantity to the side for garnish.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, stirring to cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until grains are translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes.
Pour in the wine, vermouth, mushroom liquid and stir until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add ¾ cup of hot broth and cook, stirring often, until broth is almost completely absorbed, about 1 minute. Continue to add broth in this way, stirring each time to incorporate, and waiting until liquid is almost completely absorbed before adding more. Cook, stirring often, until rice is halfway done, 8 – 10 minutes.
Stir mushrooms into risotto. Continue adding broth ¾-cupful at a time, stirring to incorporate and cooking until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding more. Cook, stirring often, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite and risotto is creamy, 8 – 10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter.
To serve: Portion risotto into soup plates or large bowls. Garnish with reserved mushrooms, more Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Wild Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
2 cups dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
4 cups wild mushrooms (oyster, cremini, shiitake, king oyster), sliced
1¼ cups carnaroli or arborio rice
9 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive or extra-virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, finely diced
sprinkle kosher salt
½ cup dry white wine (such as pinot grigio)
½ cup dry vermouth
6 cups chicken stock, chicken broth or vegetable broth
½ cup grated Parmesan
To serve:
sautéed mushrooms
grated Parmesan
flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
black pepper, optional
Directions
Soak dried porcini mushrooms in 1 cup of warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and strain soaking liquid, reserving to the side. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
Combine mushroom liquid with wine and vermouth and reserve.
Bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, then reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat.
Prepare the risotto: Place a large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter then add mushrooms in an even layer. Season with kosher salt and cook, tossing often until browned. Transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat cooking in batches until all of the mushrooms are browned. Add the chopped porcini mushrooms to the bowl and toss. Reserve ¼ cup of the quantity to the side for garnish.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, stirring to cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until grains are translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes.
Pour in the wine, vermouth, mushroom liquid and stir until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add ¾ cup of hot broth and cook, stirring often, until broth is almost completely absorbed, about 1 minute. Continue to add broth in this way, stirring each time to incorporate, and waiting until liquid is almost completely absorbed before adding more. Cook, stirring often, until rice is halfway done, 8 – 10 minutes.
Stir mushrooms into risotto. Continue adding broth ¾-cupful at a time, stirring to incorporate and cooking until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding more. Cook, stirring often, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite and risotto is creamy, 8 – 10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter.
To serve: Portion risotto into soup plates or large bowls. Garnish with reserved mushrooms, more Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Wild Mushroom Risotto
5 / 5. 1
The classic creamy rice dish, slow-cooked with assorted wild mushrooms, white wine, vermouth and chicken stock…
A side salad and glass of white wine is all you need to make this WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO your next gotta-make meal!
I went out for dinner with some friends in the city, and Italian food was the restaurant’s speciality. We ordered a really tasty mushroom risotto to share as a starter. I took my first few bites, and I made a mental note to do up a version for WATC. We’re confident you’re going to appreciate the hard work that went into perfecting this rice recipe, because this WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO is incredible.
Before we begin, let’s get some of the basics out of the way.
What is risotto?
RISOTTO is a creamy rice dish that can be served as a starter or as a main. It originated in Northern Italy and is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in that region. Making it involves cooking white rice on the stovetop, then slowly adding a warmed broth or stock until it reaches a creamy consistency. Risotto is often made with vegetables such as tomatoes, pumpkin, seafood, beans and mushrooms.
What type of rice is used to make risotto?
Ideally, risotto is made using a high-starch (amylopectin), low-amylose round or medium to short-grain white rice. You’ll get different results using some of the favourite varieties like Arborio, Baldo, Maratelli, Padano and Vialone Nano, but we found CARNAROLI rice to be the best. Not only is it more flavourful, but it’s also more even in its absorption of liquids and release of starch. This prevents the risotto from getting mushy or overcooked.
What types of mushrooms work best in risotto?
During the testing of this recipe, we determined that using a variety of wild mushrooms worked best. Using them gives this homemade risotto dish tons of flavour. For best results, we suggest using dried mushrooms like porcini and chanterelles. But then, partner them with fresh wild mushrooms like shiitake, oyster mushrooms, cremini, hen of the woods and king oyster mushrooms. PRO TIP! Make sure to read why reserving the liquid used to rehydrate the dried mushrooms is a game-changer for this recipe.
Let’s delve a bit deeper into this stellar dish; here are even more tips to make really, really delicious WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO.
INGREDIENTS
Making a flavourful, creamy risotto doesn’t require a ton of ingredients, just the right ones. You’ll need assorted wild mushrooms, premium rice (we suggest carnaroli or arborio), chicken stock (vegetable broth will work too), butter, white wine, vermouth, onion and Parmesan. Funny to mention, but the other thing you’ll need is… well, patience. There’s a little bit of prep, then 20 minutes of active time, stirring the rice as it cooks, but it’s so worth the effort. Substitutions to consider are swapping the onion with shallots and garlic, and adding thyme or other fresh herbs when sautéing the mushrooms.
MUSHROOMS
As mentioned above, we found gathering a variety of wild mushrooms to make this recipe helps create a richly flavoured dish with memorable mushroom flavours. Mushrooms that work really well in this recipe include shiitake, dried chanterelles and dried porcini mushrooms, fresh oyster mushrooms, hen of the woods, king oyster and cremini mushrooms. Look for a variety of wild mushrooms at farmer’s markets or speciality grocers and produce vendors.
COOKING LIQUID
So, the game changer for this recipe is the mushroom rehydrating liquid. Using white wine in risotto adds a lovely grape flavouring to the rice, and vermouth adds herb and spice notes as well, but it’s the liquid strained from the soaked dried porcini mushrooms that take this classic rice dish from simple to amazing. That richly flavoured, dark-coloured liquid gives this dish that signature pronounced mushroom flavouring. It also yields a darker colouration to the finished dish that you won’t find in others. Safe to say, our version of WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO is the tastiest we’ve ever tried.
COOK THE RICE
We suggest you watch this VIDEO of us making the recipe beforehand to give yourself a sense of timing and process. One important thing to note; don’t rush cooking the rice. After adding it to the pan with the softened onions slowly cook the rice until you see the edge of the grains go translucent, then add the fortified mushroom and wine liquid. This is a key step to toasting the grains and releasing their nutty flavour.
SLOW AND STEADY
As the recipe continues, your marching orders are “slow and steady”. Stir constantly and slowly each time you add liquid to the pan giving the rice time to soften, absorb the liquid and cook. This will ensure a creamy texture with the rice cooked “al dente”. Stirring that pot will become a meditative, almost therapeutic task, but it also ensures the finished dish is cooked to perfection and never, ever mushy.
ADD THE MUSHROOMS
Adding the sautéed wild mushrooms to the risotto during the final ten minutes of cooking time further seals the deal on this flavour-forward dish. One thing to note is how we seasoned the mushrooms with kosher salt when we sautéed them. We suggest waiting until the dish is finished before adding further salt to taste. Don’t be surprised if the risotto doesn’t need any.
CREAMY RISOTTO
Getting a luxuriously creamy risotto with tender grains is the ultimate goal. Getting that perfect balance happens with just the right amount of chicken stock. We also like adding a final tablespoon of butter along with the quantity of Parmesan cheese. Feel free to substitute other hard cheeses for the Parmesan, like asiago, grana padano and pecorino – all work well in this recipe.
SERVE
Let’s keep the serving of this fabulous dish easy. Although it pairs well with things like ROASTED CHICKEN, PORK TENDERLOIN and LAMB CHOPS, we do think it’s best enjoyed as a stand-alone main course. Serve it with a SIMPLE SALAD and a fine glass of pinot grigio, a chardonnay or a light sauvignon blanc.
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Ingredients
2 cups dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
4 cups wild mushrooms (oyster, cremini, shiitake, king oyster), sliced
1¼ cups carnaroli or arborio rice
9 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive or extra-virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, finely diced
sprinkle kosher salt
½ cup dry white wine (such as pinot grigio)
½ cup dry vermouth
6 cups chicken stock, chicken broth or vegetable broth
½ cup grated Parmesan
To serve:
sautéed mushrooms
grated Parmesan
flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
black pepper, optional
Directions
Soak dried porcini mushrooms in 1 cup of warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and strain soaking liquid, reserving to the side. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
Combine mushroom liquid with wine and vermouth and reserve.
Bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, then reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat.
Prepare the risotto: Place a large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter then add mushrooms in an even layer. Season with kosher salt and cook, tossing often until browned. Transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat cooking in batches until all of the mushrooms are browned. Add the chopped porcini mushrooms to the bowl and toss. Reserve ¼ cup of the quantity to the side for garnish.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, stirring to cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until grains are translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes.
Pour in the wine, vermouth, mushroom liquid and stir until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add ¾ cup of hot broth and cook, stirring often, until broth is almost completely absorbed, about 1 minute. Continue to add broth in this way, stirring each time to incorporate, and waiting until liquid is almost completely absorbed before adding more. Cook, stirring often, until rice is halfway done, 8 – 10 minutes.
Stir mushrooms into risotto. Continue adding broth ¾-cupful at a time, stirring to incorporate and cooking until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding more. Cook, stirring often, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite and risotto is creamy, 8 – 10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter.
To serve: Portion risotto into soup plates or large bowls. Garnish with reserved mushrooms, more Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
