Meatless Monday – Creamy Mushroom Risotto
This recipe is one that I originally posted in 2009, but at the time I didn’t have a photo of the finished dish. (And I probably didn’t have very many blog readers back then either, but we won’t talk about that).
After making the risotto for a friend’s birthday last week and everyone going nuts over it, I figured I should put it out there again and stress to you how absolutely amazing it is. It really is, honest-to-goodness, one of the 5 best recipes in my arsenal, and I truly don’t think it has ever gotten the attention it deserves. Perhaps because I didn’t have a photo? (or perhaps because I only had about 50 people reading my blog back in 2009?)
Whatever the reason, it’s a shame, because this risotto deserves the attention of hundreds. Thousands. It’s a star, so I’m doing my part to give it the spotlight it deserves by re-posting my blog post and adding a photo.
Now it’s your turn. Do yourself, your friends, and/or your family a favor and make this!!!
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Original Post from October 12, 2009:
Today is your lucky day. I’m handing over to you my secret weapon, my signature dish, the dish I use to impress when guests are coming for dinner. It really is just as good (or better) than any restaurant risotto you’ll ever have. The rich and creamy taste fools everyone into thinking it’s loaded with cream, yet there is none!
Good risotto takes time and energy- it’s a bit of arm work, that’s for sure. Stirring, adding, stirring, adding, on and on and on. But believe me, all the effort pays off because this dish will blow away your guests. And it only takes one hand to do the stirring, so the free hand can be used to enjoy a nice glass of wine while you slave away!
Creamy Mushroom Risotto
6-8 side dish servings or 4 main dish servings. Adapted from Gourmet Mushroom Risotto on Allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth, divided
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
12-16 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (mix of any or all of the following: baby bellas, cremini, shiitake, white button)
2 shallots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp finely chopped chives
3 Tbsp of butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.
Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside. (Leave the burner on medium-high heat for next step)
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the large saucepan, and stir in the shallots and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 35-40 minutes*. (It is very important that the simmering broth is added little by little, cooked and stirred until it’s absorbed, then repeated, 1/2 cup by 1/2 cup of broth, until the risotto is tender and the broth is absorbed. This allows the starches to break down, resulting in a creamy risotto).
Once all of the broth is absorbed, remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately for best results.
*Try to find the perfect balance for the heat. Not enough heat and it will take a very long time for the liquid to absorb, but too hot and you’ll have rice sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Confession… I'm not a huge risotto fan. Can we still be friends?!?!
Perhaps I've just never had GOOD risotto!
OMG are you serious?? I LOVE risotto. But, I've had risotto before that's not so great, so maybe the key is you getting a really good one….and this would be one. But of course, you have to like mushrooms in order to enjoy it!
Hi, Beth! I made this last night and it was awesome! I am just now learning to cook, but your directions were super easy to follow and it was so delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe, I will definitely make it again! :)
-Aileen
Beth, This is FANTASTIC!!! I have never made risotto before and I had only eaten it once is a 5-star restaurant. This ranked right up there. The whole family loved it. Thank you so much!
Ronna
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So glad to hear that. It is one of my VERY favorite dishes!!
This sounds so good! I LOVE risotto! Can’t wait to try it.
IF you have any leftovers, you should make Giada’s risotto cakes. So good made with mushroom risotto! Basically, you add more parmesan, shape into a pancake shape, sautee in olive oil until crunchy and heated through. Sometimes i make her wild mushroom and pea risotto just so I can make these with the leftovers.
It looks yummy, I’ll definitely try the recipe.
So I realized as I was making this that you really need Arborio rice for risotto, which I’ve obviously never made before or I would have known that! I actually used basmati rice bc it’s what I had on hand. I didn’t rinse it so it would have all the starches, and consistently stirred it the whole time. It turned out pretty good! I know Arborio would be best, but just in case someone else is caught without it…thought I’d share. The key seems to be the stirring in addition to the type of rice that gives it that creaminess. ;) Thanks for your delicious meatless recipes Beth, they are always a hit in our house!
This is a great article from Cook’s Illustrated where they tested substituting other rices in place of Arborio in making risotto: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tastetests/overview.asp?docid=13283
Of course Arborio is definitely the best, but looks like they found there are a few others that could work in a pinch!
chicken broth = not meatless
but outside of that a good recipe founation
Then use vegetable stock, Homer!