This is a fully loaded mushroom recipe – there’s 750g / 1.5 lb mushrooms in this!
Mushroom Risotto
It’s such a let down when you’re faced with a giant bowl of Mushroom Risotto, only to find you have to fish around desperately through piles of gluey rice to find a a few piddly bits of mushrooms. Let me assure you, no fishing expedition will be required for this Mushroom Risotto! (Let me also assure you there is no gluey rice in sight. Just creamy, silky, perfectly al dente risotto!😇)
What goes in mushroom risotto
This risotto recipe is intended to be one that makes the most of ordinary mushrooms, rather than hunting down exotic wild or Asian mushrooms, or using dried mushrooms which have a more intense mushroom flavour. So this recipe is based around a rather large volume of either white or Swiss Brown/Cremini mushrooms! Other than the mushrooms, there’s nothing unusual or groundbreaking in this recipe. It’s more about cooking technique (trust me, risotto is simple!). Just a note on a few of the ingredients:
Risotto rice – to make risotto, you need to use risotto rice which is called Arborio rice, it’s different to ordinary white rice because it’s got a higher level of starch on the surface which thickens the cooking liquid used and makes the risotto beautifully creamy;Cream – I don’t ordinarily use cream in risotto because you don’t need it to make risottos creamy (see above point). In this particular recipe, I actually use it to add a touch of richness and to make the risotto white (you’ll see in the video it’s quite brown because of the mushrooms). It’s optional;Eschallots / French onions – baby onions that are finer than normal onions so they kind of “dissolve” into the risotto. Sub with 1/2 a normal onion, finely chopped; andSubstitute for wine? Wine adds depth of flavour into risotto as well as deglazing the pot (ie dissolving the golden brown bits on the base of the pot from cooking the mushrooms into the wine which forms part of the flavour base)
How to make Mushroom Risotto
And here’s how to make it. For the best flavour, cook the mushrooms until golden then stir some back in at the end and reserve the rest to pile on top. Maximum taste – and it looks better too! Add the stock 1 1/2 cups at a time, stir briefly then leave it for 3 minutes until the rice absorbs most of the liquid. Repeat 3 more times until the stock is used up, stirring regularly towards the end so the base doesn’t catch. There’s no need to add the hot stock ladle by ladle, stirring constantly, which takes around 30 minutes. The end result will be just as creamy, I promise. Read next section below for why! Add the cream and parmesan, then give it a vigorous stir. This activates the starch in the risotto rice which gives the sauce the signature creamy consistency. In this step, you’ll also observe that the risotto transforms from being sloppy to beautifully creamy! Garnish risotto with extra parmesan (essential in my world) and a little sprinkle of parsley for a touch of freshness, if desired.
What to serve with Mushroom Risotto
Mushroom Risotto can be served either as a starter / appetizer, or as a main. The concept of having to slowly add stock into the rice ladle by ladle for creamy risotto is a traditional method that was called for in the times when risotto was made by Italians in tall, narrow risotto pots. Tall narrow pot = high rice and liquid depth = must stir regularly for even cooking. It’s been pretty well documented and tested by established food authorities such as Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats that if you use a wider pot, there’s no need to be so diligent. As a starter, serve smaller portions (remembering that this is quite rich!). For a protein main, try some of these:
CRISPY Herb Baked Chicken with GravyCrispy Pan Fried Fish – or serve this as the main with the Mushroom risotto on the sideGarlic Prawns (Shrimp!)Roast Chicken – or a Slow Cooker Roast ChickenPork Roast with Crispy CracklingStanding Rib Roast (Prime Rib) or Marinated Roast BeefSlow Roast Leg of Lamb – or a classic Roast Lamb Leg
I usually serve it as a main course with a simple crisp green salad like a Rocket (Arugula) Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Shaved Parmesan. The peppery flavour of the Rocket lettuce is a classic pairing with rich, creamy dishes like this risotto. Bonus that it’s possibly the fastest side salad ever!! – Nagi x PS For a Carb Blow Out, add a side of Garlic Bread or even Cheesy Garlic Bread!
Watch how to make it
Originally published October 2019. Post tidied up January 2020 – no change to recipe!
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Life of Dozer
He has a pigeon hole at my mother’s house where I keep some of this things for the times when he stays over. He’s always snuffling around in there, hoping to score some treats!
