Slow and creamy, with a side of memories: Mushroom Risotto

Butter, a mix of mushrooms, arborio rice, Parmesan and patience add up to a luxuriously creamy, savory, rich meal. Recipe below.

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]W[/su_dropcap]e’ve already talked about our wonderful road trip through Quebec this summer. Now that the nights are starting to draw in, I’ve often thought of our favorite meal of the trip—which was at, seriously, a Best Western. And the pinnacle of that meal was a dish of mushroom risotto. Creamy, rich, fragrant, at once rustic and elegant, it was so well made and so unforgettable.

In my thoughts, it’s bound up with all the other wonderful things from those days—a pair of Finn whales swimming side by side, flocks of razorbills flitting just above the water, a fata morgana over distant islands, the broad, flat St. Lawrence River widening to the sea.

Here is my homage to that brilliant chef and that superb meal and beautiful place. This would be a wonderful side along with a roast; it would be a great part of a Thanksgiving dinner; if you are hosting vegetarians, it could be the centerpiece. This is not a simple, quick shortcut or a weeknight meal—at the very least, you are standing at the stove giving the pot your undivided attention for quite some time. But it is a wonderful meditation, and a luxurious gift for yourself and your guests.

Mushroom Risotto
Serves 4 as a main, 6 to 8 as a side

butter
2 pounds of mixed fresh mushrooms (see Kitchen Notes), torn or sliced
4 to 6 ounces of dried mushrooms, rinsed
1 cup finely chopped white and light green part of leeks
2 cups Arborio rice [see Kitchen Notes]
1/2 cup dry vermouth and 1/2 cup white wine
6 – 8 cups of chicken stock, or half chicken and half mushroom stock (see Kitchen Notes)
Parmesan cheese, grated—at least 1 cup

First, prepare the mushrooms. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, melt 2 teaspoons butter. Then put some of the mushrooms in the skillet, salt them very lightly, and sauté until golden and soft.

Work in batches—the important thing is to cook the mushrooms properly, and if you overcrowd the pan, the mushrooms will steam rather than sautéing. Arrange them so that they do not touch. Also, it is best to sauté like with like, which will help you treat them more uniformly. Add more butter with each batch—mushrooms love to soak it up.

Some recipes claim that 2 pounds of mushrooms can be sautéed in four batches. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA no. Take your time and do it right. Reserve all the batches of cooked mushrooms in a bowl.

Put the dried mushrooms in a medium saucepan with the stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for ten minutes, or until the mushrooms are softened. Scoop them out, sauté them too, briefly, and reserve them. Leave the stock in the saucepan over low heat.

Next, make the rice. Have the warm stock at hand, in its saucepan over very low heat (you want it warm but not simmering).  Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy-bottomed six to eight quart pot. Gently sauté the leeks until they are clear—about 4 minutes. Then add the rice to the pot and stir to coat with the butter. Stir and sauté until the edges of the rice look clear, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and vermouth all at once, raise the heat a bit, and stir until all the wine is absorbed. It will take about a minute.

Add a cup of the stock and cook, stirring constantly, until it is mostly absorbed – about two or three minutes. Then add a ladle of stock and continue to stir.  Repeat two or three times. After about 10 minutes, stir most of the mushrooms into the risotto. (Reserve about 2/3 cup for garnish.)

Continue adding ladles of stock and stirring, letting the rice absorb the stock, until the risotto is creamy and the rice is tender and just a little firm. Most recipes will tell you that this will take about 20 minutes altogether. This is a lie. So is the part where the recipe calls for 6 cups of stock. I have never, ever made risotto that has come up that quickly and that has taken only 6 cups of stock to 2 cups of rice. Be prepared to stir this for a while. Until it’s done! And if need be, be prepared to use eight or more cups of stock. It will be a meditation.

When the risotto is creamy and al dente, stir in the Parmesan. Taste it—you may want to add more. It is ready to serve, in handsome shallow bowls, with the reserved mushrooms scattered on top. (Leftovers reheat nicely—see Kitchen Notes.)

Kitchen Notes

What kinds of mushrooms? For this recipe, we used fresh white mushrooms, baby bellas, oysters and shiitakes, as well as dried porcini. Wild mushrooms, such as hen of the woods or chanterelles, would be lovely (and this is still chanterelle season in the Northwest). And if need be, yes, you can use just one kind of mushroom—but a mix provides subtle differences in flavor with each bite.

Stock options. If you are using commercial stock, choose a low-salt, quality brand. For this, we used a mix of Pacific brand chicken stock and mushroom stock, which, to my delight, was not bad at all. To make the dish vegetarian, use a mix of vegetable and mushroom stocks or just mushroom stock.

Why arborio rice? Arborio is a short-grained Italian rice that is high in starch. The long, slow cooking process releases the starch and gives risotto its characteristic creamy texture. If you can’t find arborio (which is also grown in the US), you may substitute other short- or medium-grained rices, but not long-grain varieties, which tend to be lower in starch. And don’t pre-rinse your rice—for risotto, you want to keep every molecule of that starch.

Reheating leftovers. When stored in the fridge, the rice will continue to absorb liquid. So stir in a generous splash of white wine and reheat risotto in a covered pan on the stove, stirring occasionally, until heated through. It will reheat beautifully, staying creamy and luscious.