Creamy Mushroom Risotto
Risotto has a reputation for being fussy, but it really just comes down to one thing: patience with the stock. Add it slowly, stir it often, and the rice does the rest.
I’m using dried porcini here as well as fresh Swiss brown mushrooms. The porcini soaking liquid goes straight into the stock, so you get mushroom flavour built into every ladle, not just from the mushrooms on top.
No cream in this one. The creaminess comes entirely from the starch the rice releases as you stir, finished with a bit of butter and parmesan at the end.
Creamy Mushroom Risotto
ITALIAN · DINNER · MEDIUM
Deep Mushroom Flavour, Built in Layers
Using porcini soaking liquid as part of the stock means the mushroom flavour is in the rice itself, not just sitting on top. It's a small step that makes a big difference.
The fresh mushroom mix on top, with parsley, thyme, sage, and lemon, adds brightness and texture against the rich, creamy rice underneath. It stops the dish from tasting one-note.
And once you've made risotto properly once, ladle by ladle, you'll never want the shortcut version again. It's genuinely worth the twenty minutes of stirring.
Creamy Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
Mushroom Mix
- 22.5 ml Olive Oil
- 450 g Swiss Brown Mushrooms (Cremini) Sliced
- 10 g Flat Leaf Parsley Chopped
- 5 g Thyme Picked & Chopped
- 4 Sage Leaves Chopped
- 1 Lemon Juiced
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Risotto
- 1.5 litres Vegetable or Chicken Stock
- 15 g Dried Porcini Mushrooms Soaked
- 22.5 ml Olive Oil
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Grated
- 1 rib Celery Grated
- 4 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 400 g Arborio Rice
- 80 ml Dry White Wine
- 28 g Unsalted Butter
- Parmesan Cheese Grated
- Salt To Taste
Garnish
- Flat Leaf Parsley Picked
- Parmesan Cheese Grated
- Cracked Black Pepper To Taste
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil To Taste
Method
- Add the vegetable or chicken stock to a saucepan, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.
- Remove ½ cup (125ml) and put it into a heatproof bowl. Add the dried porcini mushrooms and leave to rehydrate for 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the stock and roughly chop, then place them back into the stock and set aside.
- Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, Swiss brown mushrooms, and seasoning to taste. Sauté for 6 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove.
- Place the mushrooms into a mixing bowl. Add the parsley, thyme, sage, lemon juice, and seasoning to taste. Mix to combine and set aside.
- Put the same large pot back over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, onion, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the arborio rice and toast for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Deglaze with the wine (or stock) and reduce for 1 minute. Add the porcini mushroom stock mix and mix well.
- Add the heated stock one ladle at a time, mixing until fully absorbed before adding the next, until all the stock is used. When you get to the last ladle's worth, add it in but don't let it fully absorb. Remove from the heat.
- Add the mushroom mix, unsalted butter, and grated parmesan to taste. Mix to combine and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve in bowls or plates. Garnish with flat leaf parsley, parmesan, cracked black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Dig in.
Hi, this recipe cannot be vegetarian whilst parmesan cheese is used. Please update your recipe notes to add a replacement for parmesan cheese.
Parmesan cheese is vegetarian. You may be thinking of vegan.
Just made this, only change was I used dry Vermouth instead of white wine.
The end result was the best tasting risotto ever and a few ingredients that I would not have thought of adding made all the difference, you could taste them all.
Very well written cooking method instructions, thank you Jack this is now on my list of regular garlic & mushroom risotto.
Fantastic work! Glad you’re enjoying the recipe. Thank you.