You can pair mushroom risotto with an aromatic, full-bodied white wine like a Chardonnay or Sauvignon. An excellent pairing is also with the elegant bubbles of a Franciacorta brut or a not too full-bodied red wine like a Dolcetto d’Alba.
Difficulty: easy
Method: 10
Cooking: 35
Chef Danilo Angè
Difficulty: easy
Method: 10
Cooking: 35
Method
-
01 / Prepare the mushrooms
Clean the mushrooms and then wash them quickly
Cut them into thin slices
Sauté the unpeeled garlic with the extra virgin olive oil
Remove the garlic when golden
Place the mushrooms in the pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes
They are ready when they are crispy but soft
Season with salt and pepper
-
02 / Prepare the sauté for the risotto
Finely chop the onion
Add the butter in a saucepan over medium heat
Cook for about 5 minutes until it wilts, it should not brown
-
03 / Toast the rice
Add the rice to the fried mixture
Turn the rice for a couple of minutes until toasted without changing colour – it should be very hot when touched with the back of the hand
-
04 / Cook the risotto
Add the white wine and let it evaporate
Add the boiling broth, the rice must always be covered with liquid
Add the mushroom halfway through cooking
Cook, stirring occasionally, adding a little stock at a time when necessary
Remove from the heat after about 18 minutes
-
05 / Blend the risotto
Add the Parmesan cheese and cold butter
Hold the handle of the saucepan and move it vigorously back and forth to mix the ingredients
Adjust salt and add the chopped parsley
-
06 / Serving
Arrange the risotto on serving plates
If you like, garnish with some pieces of cooked mushrooms
Wine pairing
Risotto should be prepared and served there and then, but you can prepare the stock in advance.
Another very useful tip is to replace the fried onion or shallot with a flavoured oil you can prepare in advance and use for other recipes too. Chop the onion/shallot, put it in a saucepan and cover it completely with extra virgin olive oil. Cook it on a low flame or in the microwave until the onion/shallot is transparent. Leave to infuse and cool, filter, cover, and store the flavoured oil in the fridge.
The onion must not brown in the frying pan.
The rice must not change colour during the toasting process to seal the rice grain and allow it to release the right amount of starch when needed.
From mid-cooking onwards, the stock should only be added as necessary, as it is absorbed, so as not to end up with a risotto with too much broth.
The “mantecatura“, the final mixing phase, ought to be done with the heat off, using cold butter and Parmesan cheese to obtain a creamy risotto.
The risotto should be served strictly hot and freshly made, without allowing it to darken and dry.
The mushrooms should not be too watery: cook them on a medium flame, not low, and add salt only at the end of cooking.
If you have leftover mushroom risotto, you can store it in the fridge up to a couple of days. When using it, spread it on a buttered baking tray, sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and butter flakes, then bake it au gratin in the oven at 190°C.
The most suitable rice qualities for a creamy risotto are Carnaroli, Roma, Arborio and Vialone Nano.
In the traditional recipe, the rice was sautéed with the butter, about 25 grams, and onion. Nowadays butter is replaced increasingly with extra virgin olive oil.
You can also use other qualities of mushrooms, as long as they are fresh and tasty.
If you want a stronger flavour, you can also add 10 g of dried mushrooms: let them soak in water until soft, squeeze them, chop finely, and add them to the fresh mushrooms.
In Italy it is said that a successful risotto must be “all’onda“: meaning that it should be thick and creamy enough to allow creating a wave in the saucepan with a sharp blow of your wrist during the final mixing phase.
Ingredients for 4 people
320 g carnaroli rice
60 g of onions
25 g of butter for the sauté
40 g of butter for the creaming
60 ml white wine
1 l of vegetable stock
80 g grated Parmesan cheese
30 g parsley
Salt
For the mushrooms
300 g porcini mushrooms
1 clove of garlic
20 g extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Wine pairing
You can pair mushroom risotto with an aromatic, full-bodied white wine like a Chardonnay or Sauvignon. An excellent pairing is also with the elegant bubbles of a Franciacorta brut or a not too full-bodied red wine like a Dolcetto d’Alba.
