By Martha Rose Shulman
Updated Jan. 23, 2024
- Total Time
- About 50 minutes
- Rating
- 5(4,932)
- Notes
- Read community notes
If you are ever at a loss for what to make for an impromptu dinner party, especially if there will be vegetarians at the table, consider this luxurious mushroom risotto. I added peas because I wanted to introduce some color, and also because the sweetness of the peas fits right in with the flavors of this dish. But this satisfying, elegant dish is fine without peas, too. You’ll get a vibrant dash of green from the parsley added at the end of cooking.
Featured in: Wild About Mushrooms
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 6 to 7cups chicken, vegetable or garlic broth or stock, as needed
- Salt and black pepper
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½cup finely chopped onion, or 2 shallots, minced
- ¾ to 1pound wild mushrooms, cleaned if necessary and torn or sliced into smaller pieces if thick (small wild mushrooms should be left whole, mushrooms like maitake can just be separated into small pieces)
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 2teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or chopped sage
- 1½cups arborio or carnaroli rice
- ½cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
- 1cup frozen peas, thawed (optional)
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½cup grated Parmesan cheese, or a mixture of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
342 calories; 9 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 1020 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
Bring stock or broth to a simmer in a saucepan, with a ladle nearby. Make sure stock is well seasoned, and keep it simmering on the stove.
Step
2
Heat oil in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add onions or shallots and cook gently until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step
3
Turn up heat and add mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to sweat, about 3 minutes, then add garlic and thyme or sage. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and continue to cook over medium heat until they are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Step
4
Add rice and stir until grains begin to crackle. Add wine and cook, stirring, until wine is no longer visible in pan. Stir in enough simmering stock to just cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly. Cook, stirring often and vigorously, until stock is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of stock and continue cooking, not too fast and not too slowly, stirring often and adding more stock when rice is almost dry, for 15 minutes.
Step
5
Add peas, if using, and continue adding stock and stirring for another 10 minutes. Rice should be tender all the way through but still al dente. Taste now and adjust seasoning.
Step
6
Add another ladleful or two of stock to rice. Stir in parsley and Parmesan, and remove from heat. Season with black pepper and serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates.
Tip
- Advance preparation: You can begin up to several hours before serving: proceed with the recipe and cook halfway through Step 4, for about 10 minutes. The rice should still be hard in the middle when you remove it from the heat, and there should not be any liquid in the pan. Spread it in an even layer in the pan or on a baking sheet and keep it away from the heat until you resume cooking. 15 minutes before serving, resume cooking as instructed.
Ratings
5
out of 5
4,932
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
DrPat
it was a revelation to separate the two parts of the recipe - making the risotto with the sautéed minced shallots and stock, but sauteeing the mushrooms and additional sliced shallots separately, stirring them in at the end with the peas. Much more savory and the mushrooms retain their lovely sautéed texture. The quality of the stock is crucial. A delicious vegetarian wild mushroom stock is in the classic, The Greens Cook Book.
DaveW
Woudl recommmned the addition of lemon juice at the end when you add the parmesan and black pepper. Adds much needed acid to the dish!! Would highly recommend the addition!
Jeff B
If you found this bland, its most likely because the stock you are using is lacking richness and/or salt. In my opinion, risotto needs a pat of finishing butter. When the rice is al dente, pull from heat and stir in 1-2 tbsp of cold butter to stop the cooking and amp up the creamy richness, then stir in the Parmesan cheese and parsley. Taste and adjust for salt.
Anita
I agree that mushroom stock is perfect in this risotto. The recipe in The Greens Cookbook is very good, but you can also make a very quick stock of just mushrooms: some dried, plus the stems and maybe a cap or two of the mushrooms you're using for the recipe. Simmer for a few minutes, steep for 30 to 60, strain carefully. Mushroom tea, more or less, which adds flavor of its own and enhances others flavors.
Boufano
Don’t add salt until the final minutes. Salt at the outset keeps the starch in the rice firm.
Lou Sernoff
One of the best risotto combinations. My variation is to add a small amount of dried mushrooms (porcini or a mix) soaked in a cup or drinking glass of warm water. The soaked mushrooms don't add much, but the mushroom-infused water added to the stock seriously enhances the overall mushroom flavor.
Elisabeth
Perfect, extremely flavorful. Made with crimini and shitake. I tasted it earlier than suggested and it was perfectly al dente so wound up cooking five minutes less than recipe suggested. We ate two portions each...with a crisp white. (And slept very soundly that night)
Rachel
In my opinion the rice should be toasted in oil before adding mushrooms and their liquid - so I sauteed mushrooms first on their own & set aside. Then in another pan, I sauteed onions, added the rice and sauteed until golden/crackling, then re-added the mushrooms after the wine.
Ara
First time commenter, long time fan and cooker of Martha's recipes. W-O-W. I made this for my parents and sister and they all said it was the best risotto they've ever had... and living in Little Italy we eat a lot of risotto. It was delish. I followed the advice others had made such as adding some lemon juice and butter which made it extra creamy. I also used enoki and oyster mushrooms. My only criticism is the quantities. It says it serves 6 but it is so good everyone will want seconds!
Elise
Quick and delicious recipe! I paired this risotto with grilled asparagus and simmered the asparagus stalk ends with herbs in my vegetable broth. I also subbed leaks for the onions/shallots.
Richard
To reduce the amount of time preparing this dish, I get the risotto going and then prep/cook the mushrooms separately while the risotto is cooking, adding them in at the end with the peas or whatever green veg I am using.
Celeste
For my taste, the fresh herbs are really necessary if the frozen peas are used, but substituting fresh asparagus elevated the flavor satisfyingly even when I didn't have the fresh herbs available.
Emily
I made this last night and best dish I have made in ages. I am vegan and I omitted the parmesan cheese and put about one tablespoon of nutritional yeast in for that zing. i used water with better than bullion veggie. Wild mushrooms are everywhere in Oregon right now and this was perfect for a rainy night!
D
We omitted peas but added leek and dill, and used fresh button mushrooms. Fantastic.
Tim Cooper
Risotto is my favourite dish to cook - its gentle rhythms are like a form of zen-like meditation in the kitchen but I cannot believe you forgot the mantecatura. Every Italian will tell you the two most important parts of the process are the tostatura (toasting the rice for several minutes before adding the wine and stock) and the mantecatura (stirring in tiny cubes of butter at the end and leaving the pot, off the heat, with the lid on for 2 minutes. Trust me, it makes all the difference.
Jessica
Great example of a recipe that’s excellent to start with but even better with some of the commenters’ recommendations. I used fresh cremini mushrooms but added some dried-and-rehydrated morels, and added the morel water to my homemade chicken broth. I sautéed the mushrooms separately in butter and oil with a splash of red wine, and added them when you’d add the peas. Finished it all off with butter and lemon juice as suggested, and it was a total crowd-pleaser.
connie
Half recipe is plentyServe with salmonNo need for miso/truffle if add 1c tea from soaked shiitakeAdded 1T butter and heavy shake of lemon juice and ground pepper to finish
Sarah
Made as directed the 1st time. Edited process the 2nd time as follows: sautéed the mushrooms in olive oil, adding salt, pepper, garlic and fresh sage as they became tender. Put them in a bowl, then added more olive oil to the pan, sautéed the shallots, then added the rice, then the wine, and then the slow addition of stock. Put the mushroom mixture back in at the final ladle of stock. Parmesan cheese stirred in, then it was done. Delicious!
Ellen
A similar, but more healthful, version of this recipe is Martha's Farro With Mushrooms, also fantastic. And you add all the liquid at once, so easier as well.
CK
for a little kick, I use some proseco or whatever bubbly I have in place of the white wine. Otherwise without the mushrooms, this follows exactly a parade magazine recipe I started using 3 decades ago.Yum
Oregon Abby
I decided I wanted to try this in my Instant Pot and it was fabulous. Followed a similar IP recipe, added frozen peas at the end after opening the pot. Absolutely fabulous. I could eat this for breakfast. Hmmm maybe with a fried egg on top. Luxe!
Tracy
Made with oyster mushrooms, which were still nicely toothsome even when added at the front end. I had to turn it off for a bit halfway through due to minor household emergency, it was still great when finished.
adele
Possibly the best mushroom risotto I’ve ever made! Added a naughty pat of unsalted butter near the end to make it extra luxe. Served with crusty garlic bread and a bit more parm and parsley. So simple and good!
Ann
Truffle oil on mushrooms
Sarah O
Tast alternative to typical risotto recipes with butter and cream.
SarahT
Delicious!!! The only thing I changed was using dried thyme. No fresh at the store. Shallots and mushrooms are a match made in heaven, so shallots for the win! Will be a repeat at our house!
Maria Brandriff
Delicious recipe as is, although I made a couple of modifications. I had some dry porcini powder and added about a tablespoon. It really intensified the mushroom flavor. I used a combination of shiitake, maitake and brown beech mushrooms. Also I added the peas at the last minute, as simmering them for 10 minutes would certainly have drained them of their bright color.
Darby
Great when fresh, for some reason really not appetizing when cold or leftover. Flavors change
SuzT
I make a lot of risotto and this recipe stands out as perfection. I used vegetable broth and a mixture of cremini and shiitake mushrooms and I chopped them fine, since we prefer it that way. Highly recommend!
Coach Kev
I used Shitaki n Oyster mushrooms and I added whole garlic to the broth.This was UNREAL!!Just about 50 minutes start to finish and almost exactly 6 cups of liquid.A little salt n a bit more pepper..YUM!!
Private notes are only visible to you.