Today we are going to make delectably creamy mushroom risotto! It’s always been one of my favorite things to order at Italian restaurants. However, like many, I have always been hesitant to make homemade risotto myself.
Why?
Well, it’s because risotto has a widespread reputation that it is somehow difficult to make. But after making it a couple of times for myself I have come to one conclusion. IT’S ALL A LIE!!!. You see in order to make risotto you basically just need to know how to perform two tasks
- Stir
- Pour
If you can do both of those things then you can make a basic risotto.
You start by placing some rice in a pan. Then you pour in some stock and stir until it’s absorbed by the rice. You follow this up by pouring in some more stock and stirring until it’s absorbed by the rice. And then you basically keep pouring and stirring until the rice is cooked. I mean sure you could argue that it’s a little time consuming since it’s a 25 minute process, but how could anyone possibly think that’s difficult! But don’t just take my word for it try out today’s recipe and see for yourself just how easy it is to make delicious homemade mushroom risotto.
Tips, Tricks, Suggestions
- What rice is best for risotto? Well, the most traditional and most readily available rice would be arborio. It is a great choice because it is high in starch content which produces the creamy texture of the finished risotto. That being said there are a number of other rice types like Vialone nano, Carnaroli, and Baldo that are great for risotto too. Just make sure that whatever rice you use has a high starch content, so avoid ones like basmati.
- What type of mushrooms should you use? Well, honestly any type of mushroom is great for this recipe. Today I am using baby Bella mushrooms, mainly because that’s what I had on hand. But really feel free to use any mushroom that you like and is readily available.
- Can you add other things to the risotto besides mushrooms? Of course! Once you have this recipe down it is quite easy to swap out the mushrooms for other things like peas, leafy greens, asparagus, bacon, you name it.
- When it comes to the stock I always recommend that you use chicken. I think it just has that perfect balance between having enough flavor to notice but not too strong of a flavor to make it overkill. That being said any type of stock can be used to make your risotto. For example, the classic risotto, risotto alla Milanese is made with beef stock. And if you are vegetarian you can easily use vegetable stock.
- One other note on the stock. You will often hear people saying that it must be warm. Feel free to warm up your stock if you want, however, I have made risotto with room temperature stock a number of times and it’s always turned out perfect. So I’ll leave that decision up to you.
- I love serving this mushroom risotto with either chicken picatta, garlic herb lamb chops, or pork lombardy.
Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 to 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 Cup of arborio rice
2 to 3 Cups of mushrooms
½ Cup of onion, finely diced
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
½ Cup of dry white wine
5 to 6 Cups of chicken stock
4 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of butter
½ Cup of shredded parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish:
Either some chives, sage, parsley, or tarragon minced
Instructions
- Prep and cook the mushrooms: Wash the mushrooms, don’t worry about the water content as it will be cooked off. Then destem the mushrooms and cut them into slices.
Make sure to slice them larger than you want as they will shrink. Once that’s done add the 4 tablespoons of oil to a large pan/skillet and place it over high heat. Toss in the mushrooms and cook them for 5 to 7 minutes or until they have shrunk and all of the moisture has evaporated.
Take the cooked mushrooms out of the pan and set aside.
- Sautee the onion, garlic, and rice: Add the onions to the same large pan/skillet and sautee them for 3 to 4 minutes. Then toss in the garlic along with the rice and continue sauteeing everything for another 2 minutes.
- Pour the wine in the skillet and deglaze the pan. Let the wine reduce until it is barely visible.
- Add the stock: Start by pouring in enough stock until it covers all of the rice.
Stir this until the stock has almost been completely absorbed by the rice. Then add a little bit more stock (about ½ cup) and stir until that has been absorbed. Keep repeating this process until you have gone through 4 cups of stock.
At this point, you should taste a piece or two of rice to see if it is done enough for you. If you like your rice a little bit al dente then the 4 cups should be fine. However, if you want softer rice grains then you will need to repeat the process of adding stock until it is a soft as you like.
- Finish the dish with butter, cheese, and salt & pepper: Take the skillet off off the heat and toss in the butter and cheese. Stir this until the butter and cheese melt into the dish. Then taste the rice and add salt and pepper as needed. Finally, add back the mushrooms and stir them into the rice.
- Serve the mushroom risotto on a plate or in a bowl and sprinkle some fresh herbs over the top. Enjoy!
Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup of arborio rice
- 2 to 3 Cups of mushrooms
- ½ Cup of onion finely diced
- 2 Cloves of garlic minced
- ½ Cup of dry white wine
- 5 to 6 Cups of chicken stock
- 4 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons of butter
- ½ Cup of shredded parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish:
- Either some chives sage, parsley, or tarragon minced
Instructions
- Prep and cook the mushrooms: Wash the mushrooms, don’t worry about the water content as it will be cooked off. Then destem the mushrooms and cut them into slices. Make sure to slice them larger than you want as they will shrink. Once that’s done add the 4 tablespoons of oil to a skillet and place it over high heat. Toss in the mushrooms and cook them for 5 to 7 minutes or until they have shrunk and all of the moisture has evaporated. Take the cooked mushrooms out of the pan and set aside.
- Sautee the onion, garlic, and rice: Add the onions to the same skillet and sautee them for 3 to 4 minutes. Then toss in the garlic along with the rice and continue sauteeing everything for another 2 minutes.
- Pour the wine in the skillet and deglaze the pan. Let the wine reduce until it is barely visible.
- Add the stock: Start by pouring in enough stock until it covers all of the rice. Stir this until the stock has almost been completely absorbed by the rice. Then add a little bit more stock (about ½ cup) and stir until that has been absorbed. Keep repeating this process until you have gone through 4 cups of stock. At this point, you should taste a piece or two of rice to see if it is done enough for you. If you like your rice a little bit al dente then the 4 cups should be fine. However, if you want softer rice grains then you will need to repeat the process of adding stock until it is a soft as you like.
- Finish the dish with butter, cheese, and salt & pepper: Take the skillet off off the heat and toss in the butter and cheese. Stir this until the butter and cheese melt into the dish. Then taste the rice and add salt and pepper as needed. Finally, add back the mushrooms and stir them into the rice.
- Serve the mushroom risotto on a plate or in a bowl and sprinkle some fresh herbs over the top. Enjoy!
Check out some of these other great risotto recipes
