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Mushroom Risotto
Rich, creamy mushroom risotto that pushes all the right buttons. In addition to chestnut mushrooms, this recipe uses dried porcini mushrooms, which impart a meaty richness and earthy note to the dish. The keys to a delicious risotto: gradual absorption and constant stirring; it’s what releases the creamy starches from the rice. So yes, this dish needs your undivided attention, but only for 25 to 30 mins. You might even find the stirring therapeutic!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Rice and Risotto, Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.2 litre good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
- 30 g dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 400 g carnaroli or arborio rice
- freshly-ground black pepper
- 120 ml dry white wine
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 80 g grated Grana Padano (or Parmigiano Reggiano), plus more to serve
- 2 tbsps fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Add the stock and dried porcini mushrooms to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and keep the mushroom stock warm.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the onion and season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, the add the risotto rice and stir well to coat in the onion/garlicky oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice begins to look slightly translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the chestnut mushrooms and season generously with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the wine and cook, stirring often, until the pan is almost dry, 1 to 2 mins.
- Add one ladleful of the mushroom-y stock (porcini mushrooms included) and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the stock is fully absorbed. Add another ladleful of stock and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the stock is fully absorbed. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked; it should be tender but with a slight bite; the whole process should take around 25 to 30 mins. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add one ladleful of hot water at a time, stirring frequently until absorbed, until the rice is cooked to your liking.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter, grana padano and parsley and stir well to combine. Cover the saucepan and allow the risotto to sit for 3 minutes before serving. You might be tempted to skip this step but don’t – this is when the risotto becomes deliciously creamy. Taste and season with salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste. Serve with an extra sprinkle of grana padano and enjoy!
