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Beginning to feel a little like fall out there, huh? It’s dark now when I leave for work in the mornings, and I have to wear a sweatshirt over my scrubs. The other night I let Scout out to run in the backyard, and I even noticed that I could see my breath.
Welcome, my most favorite time of year. Glad to have you back.
To celebrate, I decided that I would try something that I had been meaning to since (gasp!) June when I sampled this in Colorado. For some reason, the hearty mushroom flavor and creamy Arborio rice combo seemed extremely intimidating to me. I had bookmarked so many of other food blogger’s recipes…hoping to one day try it for myself.
So, on a weekend evening when I knew that I would have no other distractions in the kitchen, I bravely pulled out this recipe and silently cheered a mantra: “Mushroom Risotto. You do not scare me.”
Here’s the good news: it was an amazing success. I think the thing that intimidated me the most was the amount of time to put into this recipe….and the amount of pots and pans. Holy cow. I ran a full dishwasher after this meal with just the prepping/cooking tools I used. The end product? Fabulously rich, creamy, full of earthy flavor, and great texture.
Happy Early Fall/Late Summer, everyone!
Mushroom Risotto
Servings: approximately 6
Ingredients
| 2 bay leaves | |
| 6 sprigs fresh thyme | |
| 4 sprigs fresh parsley leaves | |
| 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms , rinsed in mesh strainer under running water ***I ended up using a pre-packaged “Stir Fry” mix from my local grocery store (found it in the mushroom/vegetarian section. ) It was a mixture of unidentifiable dried mushrooms, but it was wonderful! | |
| 3 and 1/2 cups vegetable stock***The original recipe calls for chicken stock, but since I don’t eat chicken, I substituted the vegetarian version. It was still great! | |
| 2 teaspoons soy sauce | |
| 6 tablespoons unsalted butter | |
| 1 and a 1/4 pounds cremini mushrooms , wiped clean with a paper towel, stems discarded, and caps cut into fourths if small or sixths if medium or large***Cremini mushrooms are otherwise known as “baby portobellas”. I’m sure you could use button mushrooms in a pinch, but they probably do not hold as much flavor. | |
| 2 medium onions , chopped fine (2 cups) | |
| Salt, to taste | |
| 3 medium cloves garlic , pressed through garlic press or minced (about 1 tablespoon) | |
| 1 pound Arborio rice (2 1/8 cups) | |
| 1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth | |
| 2 ounces Parmesan cheese , finely grated (about 1 cup)***I substituted Romano because that’s all I had. | |
| 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves | |
| Ground black pepper |
Instructions
- Tie together bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and parsley sprigs with kitchen twine. (Optional, but highly recommended. This just serves to make removing the herbs from the pot easier later.)
- Bring bundled herbs, dried mushrooms, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and 3 1/2 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce to medium-low and simmer until dried mushrooms are softened and fully hydrated, about 15 minutes.
- Remove and discard herb bundle and strain broth through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl (you should have about 6 1/2 cups strained liquid); return liquid to saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
- Finely mince the (now) rehydrated mushrooms and set aside. (But be careful, because they will be really hot.)
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add cremini mushrooms, 1 cup onions, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms are well browned, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute, then transfer mushrooms to oven-safe bowl and keep warm in oven.
- Off heat, add 1/4 cup water to now-empty skillet and scrape with wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits; pour liquid from skillet into saucepan with broth.
- Heat 3 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add remaining 1 cup onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and translucent, about 9 minutes.
- Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains’ edges are transparent, about 4 minutes (I actually cooked mine a little longer at this point).
- Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until rice absorbs wine. Add minced rehydrated mushrooms and 3 1/2 cups broth and cook, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until liquid is absorbed, 9 to 11 minutes.***Watch carefully because the rice will absorb the liquids very quickly.
- Stir in additional 1/2 cup broth every 2 to 3 minutes until rice is cooked through but grains are still somewhat firm at center, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then stir in mushrooms (and any accumulated juices), Parmesan, and chopped parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper; serve immediately.
And, welcome to Heaven.
Barely adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.
Quay Po Cooks - Looks delicious… I think if you add some roasted chestnuts in it, it will even taste more umami! Just my 2 cents, hope you do not mind my suggestion:D Great pics!
RavieNomNoms - I looooove mushroom risotto, actually just had some the other night and it was fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, I have always wanted a good recipe for mushroom risotto.
Michelle (Jelly Shot Test Kitchen) - Oh that looks amazing . . . I love risotto. I rarely order in restaurants because its never quite the same as homemade. The downside is, as you point out, a mountain of dishes! This recipe looks fantastic – thanks! Cheers, Michelle
notyet100 - still to try rissoto,..this one looks yum
Susi - This recipe looks so decadent! I love risotto, I just don’t make it often enough. I’m bookmarking this recipe as it would certainly satisfy my love for mushrooms. Thanks for sharing!
Jim - Wow, most excellent! I occasionally make risotto (agree with Michelle, most restaurant risotto – at least in this area – is subpar) but this is, by far, the best recipe I’ve made. Thanks!
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