Mushroom Risotto — The Real Way
“People are intimidated by risotto, which is a shame because it’s actually not complicated — it just requires your attention for about 25 minutes. You can’t walk away. But the result is a creamy, deeply savoury bowl of rice that tastes like you spent all day on it. I use a mix of dried porcini and fresh mushrooms for maximum depth.”
What You’ll Need
- 300g arborio rice
- 20g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 300ml boiling water for 20 mins
- 300g mixed fresh mushrooms (chestnut, shiitake, oyster)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 150ml dry white wine
- 1 litre warm chicken or vegetable stock
- 60g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 60g parmesan, finely grated plus extra to serve
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Small bunch fresh thyme
- Salt and black pepper
Let’s Cook — Step by Step
- Step 1 — Strain the porcini soaking liquid through a coffee filter or fine sieve — keep the liquid, it’s liquid gold. Roughly chop the soaked porcini.
- Step 2 — Slice the fresh mushrooms. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over high heat and fry them hard with a pinch of salt until golden — don’t stir too much. Set aside.
- Step 3 — In a heavy-bottomed wide pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Soften the onion for 8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme leaves, cook 1 minute.
- Step 4 — Add the rice. Stir for 2 minutes until the edges of the grains go translucent.
- Step 5 — Pour in the white wine. Stir until absorbed.
- Step 6 — Add the porcini soaking liquid. Stir until absorbed.
- Step 7 — Now add the warm stock one ladle at a time, stirring constantly, waiting for each ladle to be absorbed before adding the next. This takes 18–22 minutes.
- Step 8 — When the rice is just al dente and the mixture is creamy and flowing, remove from heat.
- Step 9 — Stir in the chopped porcini, fried mushrooms, cold butter cubes, and parmesan. Beat vigorously for 1 minute. The risotto should flow slowly — if it’s too thick, add a small splash of stock.
- Step 10 — Season. Serve immediately in warm bowls with extra parmesan.
Kitchen Tip: The cold butter stirred in at the end — the mantecatura — is what makes risotto properly creamy. Don’t skip it.
Made with fresh ingredients & kitchen love ♥ — meozmedia.com
