Creamy Mushroom Risotto
Creamy Mushroom Risotto is classic comfort food. But in this recipe I show you how to make it even more special.
Using a combination of fresh, dried and speciality mushrooms, it’s full of earthy flavour. Then, when the risotto’s cooked, I lay slices of rich brie on top and brown it under the grill.
As if that wasn’t enough, I scatter over butter-browned oyster mushrooms before serving.
Even if you decide to leave out the brie and mushrooms on top, this is still a superb risotto.
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A RISOTTO MYTH & A GOLDEN RULE
I sometimes think there’s a lot of bunkum talked about risotto. Even if you’ve never made one, you probably ‘know’ that you have to add stock to the rice a little at a time and stand there laboriously stirring for ages and ages.
Strictly speaking, that’s not entirely true. While risotto is made in several regions of northern Italy’s ‘rice belt’, they don’t all cook it in the same way. For example, in Lombardy they make a dry risotto, adding the stock by degrees, and in the Veneto they prefer a soupier style and throw in all the stock at once.
I fall between the two camps. I certainly don’t want a dry risotto, but neither do I want a soup. While I do add the stock gradually, it’s not in the traditional ladle-fulls. For me, it’s more like two ladles at a time at first, then larger quantities once the rice is well on the way to being al dente. I find this strikes the right balance between achieving a creamy texture and my natural impatience.
One tradition I do stick to is using proper risotto rice. You’ll find Arborio or Carnaroli the most widely available in Britain. Don’t think about attempting this recipe with anything other than risotto rice, though. You’ll end up with a nasty, sticky mess rather than a creamy, delicious delight.
THE MUSHROOMS
You can make a perfectly lovely mushroom risotto simply using standard, cultivated mushrooms. I know, because I’ve done it loads of times.
But I wanted to make this Creamy Mushroom Risotto extra special. So, besides these chestnut mushrooms I’ve used dried porcini mushrooms and speciality mushrooms.
You’ll need to soak dried mushrooms in boiling water for a minimum of 30 minutes. When cold, you squeeze them dry and chop finely.
You can use the soaking liquid in your risotto, just discard the bit at the bottom of the bowl as it’s often gritty.
I also bought a box of mixed speciality mushrooms for my Creamy Mushroom Risotto.
Inside were maitake, shiitake and oyster mushrooms.
I sorted through them and put the oyster mushrooms to one side as I wanted to saute them at the last minute and serve over the top of the risotto. The maitake and the shiitake went into the risotto along with the chestnut mushrooms.
CREAMY MUSHROOM RISOTTO
The base of my risotto is onions and celery sauteed in a mixture of olive oil and butter. Next, garlic and mushrooms are added. It’s best to cook the mushrooms until they’re nice and browned – this will give a better flavour to the risotto.
After tipping in the rice I like to add a glass of white wine, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. After that’s bubbled and reduced to almost nothing you can start adding the stock.
I prefer chicken stock for flavour, but vegetable stock is fine if you want a vegetarian Creamy Mushroom Risotto. Exactly how much stock you need will depend on how high your heat is and how moist you like your risotto. For the 180 grams of rice used in this recipe, I have one litre of hot stock on hand. You’ll probably find you don’t need it all though.
When the rice is softening nicely, I add a good glug of double cream. Then it’s just a case of stirring, regularly tasting to see how the rice is doing, adding more stock as necessary. As mentioned above, I prefer to keep the risotto quite moist.
As soon as the rice is within a gnat’s whisker of being done, take the pan off the heat. Parmesan and butter are then added to make the risotto even more irresistible and a lid clamped on. This resting is important to finish the cooking. During this time the rice will continue to soak up some of the liquid so make sure the risotto isn’t too dry before you put the lid on.
THE TOPPINGS
The toppings of brie and sauteed oyster mushrooms are completely optional. But I think they take this dish to the next level.
All I do, while the risotto’s resting, is heat the grill to high, slice up some brie and put a pan on to heat with a knob of butter in it.
When the risotto’s ready, I lay the slices of brie over the top and put it under the grill until beautifully golden. Meanwhile, I saute the oyster mushrooms in the butter until temptingly brown before scattering them over the now-golden cheesy topping.
SERVING CREAMY MUSHROOM RISOTTO
To serve, I like a sprinkle of chopped parsley and a handful of finely grated Parmesan over the top.
To accompany this rich, velvety risotto, I think greens are a great contrast. From late Summer to early Spring we have loads of cavolo nero growing in our garden. It’s perfect just sauteed in a little olive oil and butter with a hint of garlic. I squeeze a little lemon juice over at the end.
Traditionally, leftover risotto is used to make arancini. These are deep fried rice balls, their name meaning ‘little oranges’ which they’re supposed to resemble.
But I have to say I’ve never had any of this wonderful Creamy Mushroom Risotto going spare.
Give the recipe a go and you’ll find out why.
Creamy Mushroom Risotto
A comforting risotto made extra special by dried & speciality mushrooms, a grilled brie topping & finished with butter-browned oyster mushrooms on top. Still a great risotto even if you don't add the toppings.
Ingredients
- 1 handful dried mushrooms (e.g. porcini)
- 1 tbp olive oil
- 40 g butter divided in half
- 1 large onion skinned, halved & sliced thinly
- 2 sticks celery finely chopped
- salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 300 g mixed mushrooms (chestnut, portabella, maitake, shiitake etc.) wiped & roughly chopped or sliced
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 180 g risotto rice (e.g. carnaroli, arborio)
- 125 ml dry white wine
- 1 litre hot stock (chicken or vegetable)
- 150 ml double cream
- 30 g Parmesan cheese finely grated
For the toppings
- 150 g brie sliced
- 20 g butter
- 150 g oyster mushrooms
To serve
- 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese finely grated
Instructions
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Put the dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Drain the mushrooms (reserve the liquid to add to the stock if liked, but avoid any grit at the bottom of the bowl), squeeze dry then chop finely. Set aside.
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Put the olive oil and 20g of the butter in a large saute or frying pan and put on a moderate heat.
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Add the onion and celery, season with salt & pepper and cook, stirring regularly until they are starting to soften (10-15 min).
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Add the fresh mushrooms, the soaked mushrooms, the garlic and a little more salt & pepper. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are starting to brown (10-12 min).
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Stir in the rice and cook for 2-3 min until it is hot and sizzling.
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Add the white wine and bubble until almost all of it has evaporated.
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Add approx 200ml of the stock and stir well. Continue to cook until almost all of this stock has evaporated, stirring often. Add another 200ml of stock and repeat the process with further additions until the rice seems almost cooked (20-25 min).
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Stir in the double cream and continue cooking until it's reduced by half. If the rice still seems some way from being cooked, add a little more stock and cook some more, stirring and tasting the rice often. Don't let the risotto get dry.
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When the rice is done, take the pan off the heat, tast and add more salt & pepper if needed. Stir in the remaining 20g of butter, the Parmesan and put on a lid. Set aside 5 min.
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While the risotto's resting, heat the grill to high and heat the 20g of butter for the topping in a small frying pan.
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Lay the slices of brie over the rested risotto, put the pan under the grill and heat until the cheese is golden.
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Meanwhile, when the butter in the pan is sizzling, add the oyster mushrooms, season with salt & pepper and cook briskly until they're well browned
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To serve: scatter the oyster mushrooms over the melted brie and finish with the chopped parsley and grated Parmesan. Eat immediately.