Mushroom Risotto
Standard · 45 min · Serves 2 · Italian
Dietary: vegetarian, pescatarian, gluten-free, nut-free
Creamy arborio rice simmered slowly with white wine and stock, folded through with garlicky golden-browned mushrooms and finished with parmesan and butter.
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Garlic mushrooms
- 250 g mushroom, sliced 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick; white or cremini
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Risotto
- 800 ml vegetable stock, low-sodium
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 80 ml white wine, dry
- 180 g arborio rice
- 40 g parmesan, finely grated
Steps
- Warm the vegetable stock in a saucepan and keep it at a bare simmer over low heat.
Garlic mushrooms
- Melt the butter in a wide, heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, until golden brown.
- Add the garlic with a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the mushrooms are deep golden, then tip them into a bowl. Browning them separately, rather than in the rice, is what keeps their color and flavor.
Risotto
- Turn the heat down to medium and melt half the butter in the same pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent but not colored.
- Pour in the wine and let it bubble for about 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot, until mostly evaporated.
- Add the rice and stir for 1 minute, until the edges of the grains turn translucent.
- Add about a quarter of the stock (200 ml / ¾ cup), stir, and let it simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring now and then, until mostly absorbed. There's no need to stir constantly.
- Keep adding the stock a quarter at a time in the same way, holding back a small ladleful, for 12 to 15 minutes more, until the rice is just tender with a slight bite. If it's still firm when the stock runs out, add hot water, 125 ml (½ cup) at a time.
- Take the pot off the heat and stir in the rest of the butter and most of the parmesan vigorously, until creamy. Fold in most of the mushrooms, then taste and season. It should be loose enough to ooze when spooned, never stiff; loosen it with the reserved stock if needed.
To serve
- Spoon into two bowls, top with the rest of the mushrooms and their buttery juices, and finish with the remaining parmesan. Serve at once. Leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days; reheat with a splash of water, stirring until creamy again.