ItalyRisotto is the one dish I only make when I have time and am in the right mood. Not because it is hard, but because it requires presence: 18 minutes at the stove, no distractions, full attention. That is also, honestly, most of the pleasure.
The stock must be hot when you add it to the rice. Cold stock drops the temperature and disrupts the cooking process. Keep the stock pot on a neighbouring burner on low heat the whole time.
Mushroom Risotto
By Sergei Martynov
Arborio rice toasted dry in butter, then built up ladle by ladle with hot stock and mushrooms, finished off heat with cold butter and parmesan. No cream. The creaminess comes entirely from the starch in the rice — that is the whole point of the technique. It takes about 18 minutes of actual cooking once the rice goes in, and you cannot really walk away from it.
What you'll need
Ingredients
- 320 g
See recipes with arborio or carnaroli riceArborio or Carnaroli rice
i - 500 g
See recipes with cremini or mixed mushroomscremini or mixed mushrooms
i - 15 g
See recipes with dried porcini mushroomsdried porcini mushrooms
i - 1.2 l
See recipes with hot vegetable or chicken stockhot vegetable or chicken stock
i - 1 piece
See recipes with shallotshallot
i - 2 piece
See recipes with garlic clovesgarlic cloves
i - 150 ml
See recipes with dry white winedry white wine
i - 60 g
See recipes with cold buttercold butter
i - 60 g
See recipes with parmesanparmesan
i - 2 tbsp
See recipes with olive oilolive oil
i - 1 tsp
- 0.5 tsp
See recipes with black pepperblack pepper
i - 1 tbsp
See recipes with fresh parsleyfresh parsley
i
How to make it
Instructions
- 1
Soak the dried porcini in 200ml of warm water for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid — filter it through a fine sieve or paper towel to remove grit. Chop the porcini. Add the strained liquid to your stock and keep the whole thing warm on a low burner.
- 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a wide pan over high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms in a single layer. Do not stir for 2 to 3 minutes — they need contact with the hot pan to colour. Stir, add the chopped porcini, salt and pepper. Cook another 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- 3
In the same pan over medium heat, melt half the butter with the remaining olive oil. Add the finely diced shallot and cook for 3 minutes until soft. Add the minced garlic for 1 minute. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes until the grains turn translucent at the edges — this is the toasting step (tostatura). The rice should smell faintly nutty.
- 4
Pour in the wine. Stir until fully absorbed, about 2 minutes. Now add the hot stock one ladleful at a time, stirring frequently after each addition. Wait until each ladle is almost fully absorbed before adding the next. Keep the heat at a steady medium simmer — not boiling hard, not barely warm.
- 5
After about 14 minutes, stir the mushrooms back in. Continue adding stock for another 4 to 5 minutes until the rice is al dente: tender but with a very slight bite. The mixture should look loose and flow slowly — not stiff.
- 6
Take the pan off the heat. Add the cold butter cut into small pieces and the grated parmesan. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds until the butter melts into the rice and the whole thing becomes glossy and creamy — this is the mantecatura. Season, scatter parsley, and serve immediately in warm bowls. Risotto waits for nobody.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does mushroom risotto come out gluey instead of creamy — what is the main mistake?
Usually two things. The rice was not toasted dry before adding liquid — the tostatura step makes the grain hold its structure during cooking, without it you get porridge. The stock was added in too large amounts or all at once — risotto needs gradual addition so the rice absorbs liquid and releases starch at the right pace. Also: the heat was too high. Risotto should simmer gently, not boil hard. Gluey instead of creamy usually means either overcooked rice or stock added too quickly.
Do you have to stir risotto constantly — or is that a myth?
Constant stirring is an oversimplification. The truth is you need to stir frequently, not every single second. After each addition of stock, stir actively until the liquid is almost absorbed. Then you can rest for a minute. The stirring matters because grain movement causes the grains to rub against each other and release starch — that starch creates the creaminess. No stirring at all and the rice burns on the bottom. Aggressive non-stop stirring and the starch exhausts itself too fast and the result is gummy.
What rice to use for risotto — Arborio, Carnaroli, or can you substitute regular rice?
Arborio and Carnaroli are both correct. Carnaroli holds its shape better and forgives more mistakes; Arborio is more widely available. Both work. Regular long-grain rice will not work: it has too little surface starch to create the creaminess. Sushi rice could theoretically work but the texture will be different. Short-grain rice with high starch content is the only real substitute. If you can find Arborio, use Arborio.
What is mantecatura in risotto and why do you add butter and parmesan off the heat?
Mantecatura is the final step: cold butter and parmesan stirred in vigorously after the pan is removed from heat. This is the most skipped step in home cooking and also the most important. The goal: butter and cheese form an emulsion with the starchy cooking liquid — a smooth, unified creamy mass. If you add butter to a hot boiling pan it simply melts and separates, no emulsion forms. The butter must be cold (straight from the fridge), the pan off heat, and both stirred in hard for a few seconds. This is what gives risotto its fluid, glossy texture — what Italians call all'onda, the wave.
Mushroom risotto with fresh or dried mushrooms — what is the difference and can you combine them?
Both work and combining them is the best option. Fresh mushrooms (cremini, button, chanterelle) give a more delicate flavour and beautiful texture. Dried porcini give very intense earthy aroma — a small amount changes the flavour of the whole dish. Use fresh cremini as the main mushroom and a handful of soaked dried porcini for depth. Do not throw away the porcini soaking water — strain it and add it to the stock. It is so aromatic it can raise the dish to another level entirely.
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Comments (2)
Ризотто с грибами мое любимое блюдо! Стояла мешала 40 минут но оно тогостоит. Сыр пармезан обязательно настоящий а не тот что в пакетиках. Получается крмеовое, нежное, просто тает ворту.
Finish cooking the arborio in the sauce, not in the water. Those last 2 minutes of simmering together create a bond between grain and sauce that plating separately never achieves.