Mushroom Risotto
When it’s the dead of winter and I am craving a warm bowl of nostalgia, I tend to gravitate towards a few Italian recipes my mom would cook while I was a kid. One of those is recipes is Risotto. We would have many variations, but my favorite is mushroom risotto.
It’s a pretty simple dish to make and equally as simple to screw up. Don’t let that scare you away. Just make sure everything is prepped and ready to go when you need it. Most of the work is the constant stirring so the risotto doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Put on some some good tunes or a podcast and get to work. In about 30-45 minutes you’ll be eating dinner.
I recommend pairing this with a basic vinegar and oil salad to add something bright and acidic to contrast the richness of the risotto. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying this mushroom risotto by itself.
Ingredients
24 oz of mushrooms - roughly chopped stems removed (I get 3 different types but you get what you like)
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp of unsalted butter
8 cups of chicken stock (vegetable stock will work too)
1 large onion - diced
6 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
3/4 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/3 cup of chopped parsley
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Method
In a medium sauce pan, add the stock and bring to a simmer
While the stock is heating up, heat 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat
Once the olive oil is shimmering, add all of the chopped mushrooms
Add salt and pepper
Stir occasionally until the mushrooms are cooked - 5-8 minutes
Once the mushrooms are cooked, transfer to a bowl
Remove the saute pan from the stove and heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat
Add the remaining tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Add 3 tbsp of butter to the oil and melt
Once the butter is melted add the onions
Season the onions with salt and pepper
Cook the onions about 2 minutes - you just want to soften the onions, not add color
After a minute add the garlic and thyme
Once you smell the garlic add the arborio rice
Stir the rice to fully incorporate with the onions and garlic
After a few minutes add the wine
Stir constantly until the rice absorbs all of the wine
Add two ladles full of stock to the mixture and stir constantly until all of the stock is absorbed
Repeat step 18 a few times until the rice is al dente and the mixture has a creamy consistency (you may not need all 8 cups of stock)
After the last ladle full of stock is absorbed, add the mushrooms and most of the parsley
Keep stirring to incorporate the mushrooms and absorb what is left of the stock
Once the stock is absorbed, remove the risotto from the heat
Add 1 tbsp of butter
Melt the butter and combine until melted
Add the Pecorino Romano and combine until melted
Season with salt and pepper
Garnish each portion with shaved Pecorino Romano and remaining parsley