I’ve recently been experimenting with ways to up my risotto game and I’m here to let you in on a few secrets.
Let me just start by saying, this Wild Mushroom Risotto recipe is special. It makes me think of an at-home date night, having your best girlfriends over for dinner, or a celebratory meal. This dish is both elegant and indulgent. The actual prep/cooking process is simple, but does require some time and patience.
In this recipe, I add wine at two different steps in the cooking process and it makes the world of a difference. I also use a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms for the ultimate mushroomy flavor.
Wild Mushroom Risotto
Both elegant and indulgent; a family favorite for sure.
Equipment
- 1 large frying pan/skillet heavy-bottomed
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 ladle
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 grater
Ingredients
- 1 lb chanterelle mushrooms stemmed and sliced
- ½ lb cremini mushrooms stemmed and sliced
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms soaked in boiling water for 1 hour
- 1 cup shallots finely diced
- 1 cup uncooked arborio rice
- ¼ cup unsalted butter divided
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme chopped; more for serving
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups dry white wine divided
- 6 cups stock must be hot!
- ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano finely grated; more for serving
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Warm a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. Add half the butter and extra-virgin olive oil, melt together.
- Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release most of their liquid.
- Meanwhile, warm stock in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring every once in a while. Keep warm until you need it later on.
- Strain rehydrated porcini mushrooms (reserving liquid), roughly chop mushrooms; set aside until later.
- Add reserved mushroom liquid to warm stock; stir and continue heating together.
- Turn up heat to medium-high and pour 1 cup of white wine into the pan; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are dry, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove mushrooms from the pan and set aside. Discard the bay leaf.
- Reduce heat to low and melt remaining butter and extra-virgin olive oil. Add arborio rice and coat with the oil and cook until rice is shiny, about 3 minutes.
- Pour in the remaining cup of white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping down any brown bits with your wooden spoon.
- When the wine is evaporated, add hot stock 1 ladle at a time, allowing rice to absorb the broth. It's critical that you add hot stock, that you add it slowly, and are stirring continuously. Repeat this process until most of the stock is incorporated and rice is al dente, about 16 minutes.
- Fold the mushrooms back into the rice, stir in the parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and Parmigiano Reggiano.
