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Wild Mushroom Risotto Worth the Stirring

📅 January 20, 2025 🍄 Mains 🌱 Vegetarian ⏱ 55 minutes

There is a persistent myth that risotto is difficult. It isn't. What it is, is attentive — it asks for 25 minutes of near-constant stirring and the presence of mind not to wander too far from the stove. In exchange, it gives you one of the most satisfying, luxurious textures in all of cooking: grains of Arborio rice suspended in a sauce so silky it moves like lava when you tilt the bowl.

This version is built on two kinds of mushroom for two different things. Dried porcini are dissolved in hot water to create a deeply savoury, almost meaty stock that becomes the soaking liquid and a portion of the cooking liquid. Fresh chestnut mushrooms sautéed in butter provide earthiness and texture. Together, they produce a flavour far more complex than either could manage alone.

The Porcini Soaking Liquid: Don't Waste a Drop

Dried porcini soak in hot water for 20–30 minutes and release an extraordinary amount of umami-rich liquid — much more flavour, weight for weight, than fresh mushrooms contain. This liquid becomes part of the stock and is the single most important thing you can do to deepen the flavour of the finished dish. The only caution: pour it carefully into your stock pot, leaving the last tablespoon or two behind. Dried mushrooms always contain a little grit, and it sinks to the bottom of the soaking bowl. Don't tip it in.

Arborio vs. Carnaroli

Arborio is the most widely available risotto rice and works perfectly well here. Carnaroli — often called the king of risotto rice — has a higher starch content and a firmer centre, making it more forgiving if you slightly overcook it. If you can find it, use it. If not, Arborio produces a delicious result and is half the price. What you should never use is long-grain rice: it doesn't have the right starch structure and will not give you the characteristic creaminess.

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🍄 Wild Mushroom Risotto
Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Diet
Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 25g dried porcini mushrooms
  • 300ml boiling water (for soaking porcini)
  • 1 litre good vegetable stock
  • 350g Arborio or Carnaroli rice
  • 400g fresh chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 large white onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 150ml dry white wine
  • 60g unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 80g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Fresh thyme or flat-leaf parsley to finish

Method

  1. 1
    Cover the dried porcini in 300ml of boiling water and leave to soak for 25 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid carefully — pour slowly and stop before reaching the gritty sediment at the bottom. Roughly chop the rehydrated porcini. Combine the soaking liquid with the vegetable stock in a saucepan and keep warm over a very low heat throughout cooking.
  2. 2
    Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 20g butter in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced chestnut mushrooms in a single layer — don't overcrowd. Cook without stirring for 3–4 minutes until golden on the underside, then stir and cook a further 2 minutes. Season well, add the chopped porcini, toss together, and set aside in a bowl.
  3. 3
    In the same pan, heat the remaining olive oil and 20g butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring, until completely soft and translucent — not coloured. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  4. 4
    Add the rice and stir to coat in the fat. Toast for 2 minutes until the edges of the grains become slightly translucent. Pour in the white wine and stir continuously until it has been completely absorbed.
  5. 5
    Begin adding the warm stock one ladleful at a time, stirring continuously and waiting for each addition to be fully absorbed before adding the next. This takes about 20–22 minutes in total. Maintain a steady medium simmer throughout — too low and the rice steams, too high and it catches.
  6. 6
    When the rice is just al dente — tender with a very slight bite at the centre — stir in the cooked mushrooms. Remove from the heat. Add the remaining 20g cold butter and the Parmesan, stirring vigorously for 60 seconds. The risotto should flow slowly when you tilt the pan. If it's too stiff, add a small splash of stock. Taste and season generously.
  7. 7
    Serve immediately in warm, wide bowls with extra Parmesan, a crack of black pepper, and fresh thyme or parsley. Risotto does not wait.
💡 The mantecatura: Step 6 — beating cold butter and Parmesan into the rice off the heat — is called mantecatura and is the technique responsible for the signature creaminess of restaurant risotto. The cold butter emulsifies with the starchy cooking liquid to form a sauce. Don't skip it and don't rush it.

Getting Ahead

Classic advice says risotto cannot be made ahead. This is almost true. What you can do is cook it to about 70% done — when the rice still has significant bite — then spread it on a baking tray to cool quickly and refrigerate. When ready to serve, bring it back to a gentle simmer with a splash of warm stock and carry on from there. It's not quite the same as cooking it straight through, but it's a useful technique for dinner parties where you don't want to be chained to the stove.

Wine Pairing

A dry Italian white works best here — Pinot Grigio, Soave, or a white Burgundy all complement the earthiness of the mushrooms without competing with them. If you prefer red, a lighter Pinot Noir or Barbera d'Asti won't overwhelm. Whatever you cook with, drink the same wine with dinner: they'll be calibrated to each other.

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