Wild Mushroom Risotto with Shiitake, Crimini, and Oyster mushrooms
If you thought you couldn’t make something this fancy at home, think again! I am overjoyed to share my Wild Mushroom Risotto recipe with you today. Between the starchy rice and the decadent mushroom blend, this recipe is so luxurious that you’re guaranteed to come back for seconds. You don't have to be a professional chef to make a perfect risotto. Just give it the tender, loving care it deserves.
I’ll be honest with you: It took a little convincing to get my husband Billy on board with this one. Growing up eating rigatoni, he just wasn’t interested in risotto. Now, he adores this recipe. It makes me happy because my youngest daughter absolutely loves risotto. Now it’s a family dinner!
What’s the secret to making risotto creamy?
his recipe doesn’t fall under the category of “quick and easy,” but it’s pretty simple as long as you’re present and attentive. No dumping the ingredients in a pan and starting a load of laundry. For a perfect risotto, you need to stay in the kitchen and stir. And stir, and stir, and stir. It’s the slow addition of warm stock to the rice that turns the dish into its creamy best. If you’re looking for tips to help you up your game, make sure to check out my article on how to make the perfect creamy risotto from scratch!
How to Choose and Clean Mushrooms for Risotto
The main ingredient in my Wild Mushroom Risotto is mushrooms. Look for the best you can afford. My favorite varieties to use for this risotto include shiitake, crimini, and oyster. If chanterelles and morels are in season, then I go for those. Ultimately, I like to use a mix of different mushrooms in my risotto. One note of caution: avoid using portabella mushrooms. Their dark gills will turn your risotto from creamy white to dingy gray! To clean your mushrooms, use a damp paper towel to gently wipe away any dirt that may be present. Don’t run them under water unless you want them to be soggy.
Pro tip: You can easlily use this recipe to make a vegetarian risotto!
If you’re wondering when is a good time to make risotto, make it now! It also happens to be the perfect meal for an impromptu dinner party. By the way, it’s great for vegetarians, too—just substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock, and you’re good to go.
Wild Mushroom Risotto Recipe with Shiitakes, Crimini, and Oyster Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-pound mushrooms, Try to mix up several varieties. I like to use shiitakes, crimini, and oyster mushrooms.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ cups Arborio rice
- ¾ cup white wine
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- Grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- In a medium pot, heat the stock, rosemary sprigs, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer. The stock needs to be warm when you add it to the risotto, so keep it on low heat while you prepare the risotto.
- Clean the mushrooms using a damp paper towel. Remove all discolored stems. If you’re using shiitake mushrooms, remove all of their stems. Shiitakes have tough stems so you only need the caps. Slice the mushrooms and place the slices in a mixing bowl.
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and sauté until just cooked through. Remove from the heat and reserve in the mixing bowl.
- In a deep 10-12 inch skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-low. Do not let the oil get too hot. You don’t want to burn the shallots or the garlic. As soon as the oil is warm, add the shallots and sauté, stirring often, until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, being careful not to let the garlic brown.
- Add the rice and stir until evenly coated in olive oil. The sides of the rice kernels will become translucent as they absorb the oil. Again, be careful not to brown the rice. You’ll only need to do this for about 1 minute before removing the pan from the heat, so pay attention!
- Remove from the heat. Add the white wine and stir to coat the rice. The wine will cook down quickly since the pan will still be hot.
- Place the pan back over medium heat. Now it’s time to ladle the warm stock into the rice, a little at a time.
- Discard the rosemary sprigs from the stock. Using a soup ladle, add just enough warm stock to cover the rice. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed.
- Repeat the process, adding just enough stock to just cover the rice. Simmer, stirring the rice constantly, until the stock is almost all used. Continue this process until almost all of the stock has been used. I like to give the risotto a test bite just before the stock is gone—sometimes you don’t need all of the stock. The rice should be cooked through, but still have some texture. If the rice seems too hard, add that last bit of stock.
- Fold in the cream, ½ cup grated Parmesan, and half of the cooked mushrooms. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
- Divide the risotto into 6 serving bowls. Place the remaining mushrooms on top of the risotto and garnish with a little more Parmesan and sprigs of fresh rosemary. Enjoy!