The first real cold weather has finally arrived and although I didn’t put on a pair of Long Johns, I did tuck in for a comfy evening by the fireplace, a book and a glass of wine. The glass of wine afforded me the ability to use it for making this warm bowl of mushroom risotto.
Risotto is a northern Italian dish that’s more of a porridge than a pilaf. A risotto should be creamy without having to add any cream, Arborio rice is the usual type of grain used (not long-grain) and there’s some labour involved in making it, i.e. gradual addition of hot stock into the pot along with some constant stirring. Risotto is not made by simply add stock (liquid to a pot and simmering it and neither is it baked (gasp).
Beyond following the basics of risotto (Arborio rice, good stock and constant stirring), the possibilities are endless on the flavour spectrum. One can create a simple white risotto with just stock, aromatics and cheese, one can introduce seasonal ingredients to flavour a risotto or choose a protein (and vegetable) to accent your risotto.
One of my favourite risottos is the mushroom risotto. Slices of Cremini mushrooms (they grow up to become Portobellos), homemade chicken stock, some bay leaf and fresh thyme leaves and the addition of cold butter at the end to heighten that creamy texture that is the risotto. I’ve also added some finely chopped bacon in lieu of the more traditional pancetta.
Open a bottle of wine, gather your ingredients and enjoy the whole process of adding stock/stirring/adding stock until your risotto is ready. It’s a good excuse to open some wine and you’ll be rewarded with a bowl of comfort.
Mushroom Risotto
(serves 4)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion (or 1/3 cup), finely dice
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 strips of bacon, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup sliced Cremini mushrooms (wiped with a damp cloth)
1 tsp fresh thyme (3-4 sprigs of thyme)
2 bay leaves
1 cup Arborio rice
1 glass dry white wine
3-4 cups hot chicken stock
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese
- Heat the olive in a deep, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, bacon, mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the mushrooms have browned.
- Add the rice and stir to coat the rice well. Now add the wine and stir over medium heat until the rice has absorbed all the wine.
- Add your chicken stock 1 ladle at a time, repeating this step after each time the rice absorbs the stock. At around 3 cups of stock, taste the rice for done-ness. Your risotto should be “al dente” (or have a little bite).
- Stir in the unsalted butter one Tbsp. at a time. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in some grated Parmesan cheese and serve with more grated cheese and a sprig of thyme for garnish. Serve with a Boutari Moschfilero.
17 Responses
Thank you for your WHB entry, Peter! I thought I know my wild mushrooms, but I hadn’t heard about this one yet!!
PS The roundup is already up!
Thank you for an interesting post! You say the mushrooms can be found in Europe at the base of wild carrots. By wild carrots, do you mean Daucus carota commonly known as Queen Anne’s Lace? Also, have you ever found these mushrooms in Greece? On the northern Aegean island where our house is, there is lots of Daucus carota, but I have never seen wild mushrooms nearby — and I sure would like to if they are there!
String beans eh? well your risotto looks fabulous so i guess I will have to try it. Gosh I love risotto.
Peter, that has to be the prettiest risotto ever! I agree with you, when I was little I hated mushrooms, onions, cooked tomatoes and green peppers, and now I cook with those and eat them all the time!
Risotto, I love risotto, Peter! And with those huge Parmesan shavings, who can say no? :)
Your risotto looks delicious!
K
Με όποιο άλλο λαχανικό κι αν έχω δοκιμάσει το ριζότο αυτό με τα μανιτάρια είναι αξεπέραστο.Υπέροχη συνταγή και υπέροχη εκτέλεση
Mushroom risotto is my favorite and yours look really appetizing!
Delightful! Mushrooms are so flavorful and are a great addition to a risotto.
Cheers,
Rosa
I tend to agree with you – mushroom risotto is my favorite too especially with the more pungent aromatic ones like porcini and morel.
The mushrooms are the earthy touch this dish needed Peter. It can be changed in taste and texture by whatever fungi are in season.
Love bacon touch! I recently had freshly foraged Oregon black truffle risotto and I just about died. I have to try making it myself now :) Thanks for your recipe, Peter.
so Cremini are baby Portobello? thanks for the trivia; love this risotto, best of all I think.
Well, not that we ever need much excuse to crack open a bottle of wine…but this looks like the perfect accompaniment! :) The more interesting mushroom varieties are due on the Fethiye markets soon, so I think risotto seems like the perfect cold weather dish to be planning.
Peter, this looks perfect! and oozing with flavor!!
Always comforting…and you give great advice also…baked???