Risotto can be intimidating but it’s actually really simple! You just have to be patient and stir a LOT.
The end result is a hearty, creamy rice dish. The mushrooms and chicken broth add amazing flavor. It’s the perfect side dish for a dinner party because it’s so flavorful and easy to make a big batch.
I’m always a fan of dishes that use wine. It gives the dish a greater depth of flavor. It also gives me an excuse to buy more wine.
When you’re making this dish, you’ll start the rice on medium-high heat. Remember to start turning the heat down when you get halfway through adding chicken broth to the rice. The rice will start to stick to the bottom of the pan. I like using a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits as I cook. But the best way to mitigate this is just to be mindful of your cooking temperature.
If you don’t have shallots, you can substitute an onion. Either way it’ll make the dish taste great.
Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
- 1 to 2 lbs mushrooms (I use baby bella)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 shallots, roughly diced
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or apple juice
- 3 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a saucepan, warm the broth over medium heat.
- Heat a large cast-iron or saute pan to medium high heat. Add mushrooms and saute for about 4 minutes, or until browned and starting to shrivel. Add a pinch of salt or two when they start releasing their juices, about halfway through cooking. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook shallots until they start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, stirring and coating with the oil for about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the wine or apple juice. Stir until the wine has absorbed.
- Return heat to medium-high. Begin ladling 1/2 cup of heated broth at a time. Continue to stir until liquid is fully absorbed into the rice between adding ladles of broth. When you're about 3 cups of broth in, start to lower the heat to medium. If you notice the rice sticking to the pan, that's also a good indicator to turn the heat down.
- Once all of the liquid has been added and absorbed by the rice, turn off the heat. Stir in mushrooms, salt, pepper, butter, parsley, and Parmesan.
