Mushroom Risotto

Creamy risotto with a hint of white wine topped with fresh mushrooms, onions, and parsley. This recipe is quick and easy but perfect for a special night in.

I have a confession.

I’ve tried risotto once, years ago, so I was a little hesitant to attempt this. One, have you seen Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen? Don’t they make it look so complicated to make? I can hear the chef yelling at the contestants for undercooking the rice or not tasting the risotto to see if it’s too bland before serving. “Risotto” sounds fancy too, and I usually think that if something sounds fancy, it must be complicated to make. Two, I’ve eaten once it so long ago. How would I know how risotto tastes like?

But every single recipe has a similar sequence. Pour in wine, stir the rice, pour in broth, stir the rice, pour in broth, stir the rice. Doesn’t that sound so simple and repetitive? The hardest part of making the risotto is the stirring and waiting. Creamy with just a hint of wine, this recipe is so delicious yet healthy. The creaminess of the risotto isn’t from butter or heavy cream or cheese. It’s simply from the starch that is released from the rice. With just a few ingredients, this dish is very cheap to make but looks amazing. You’ll enjoy it as much as I do!

I decided that I wanted to make a mushroom risotto, but you can add anything. You can add shrimp, scallops, or lobster to make it a more sophisticated dish.

First, slice mushrooms, onions, and garlic. I used both white mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. I love both. But you can use whatever type of mushrooms you like most for this recipe.

In a medium sized skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Let the oil heat for about a minute. Then add the onions, allowing it to cook for a few minutes. If the onions appear to be drying up, add about 1/8 cup of water. Then add in the sliced mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for a few minutes until they become soft. Sprinkle a pinch of salt to the mushrooms and onions. You won’t need much salt.

Once the onions and mushrooms are cooked, pour the mixture into a small bowl along with the mushroom onion broth. You want to keep the broth because you’ll add it later to the risotto.

In the same pan, add about a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat. Next, add the garlic and stir it for a moment before adding the rice. Most of the time, Arborio rice is used for risotto because it’s firm, creamy, and chewy. I didn’t use Arborio rice, but instead used a different short grained rice that’s just as creamy and chewy. It’s often used in sushi. The grain is also short and round.

As soon as you add the rice into the skillet, add the dry white wine. I’ve said in previous posts that I am clueless when it comes to alcohol. I know nothing about different wines so I actually had to go online and do the research. Because when they say dry white wine is used with risotto, I had no idea what that meant. This is the website I used to learn about different dry white wines used in cooking.

I bought another tiny bottle because we don’t really drink alcohol at home.

Stir the rice and garlic mixture as the wine starts to evaporate. In about 5 minutes, the liquid will have almost disappeared.

That’s when you add about a ½  cup of either vegetable stock or chicken stock. It’ll look like there’s too much liquid, but don’t worry, the rice will absorb all the liquid.

The rice will start to sizzle and look creamy and thick, the liquid will begin to evaporate. This process takes about 5 minutes. Make sure to continuously stir. If you don’t, the rice will stick to the skillet and you may end up with burnt rice.

Repeat this process about 4 more times. You will use about 2 ½ cups of broth. Your rice will become creamy and soft but still chewy. I really recommend trying the rice to see if it’s to your liking. If the rice is still too hard, I recommend adding another ½ cup of broth and stirring until the liquid evaporates.

When the rice is about ready, add the mushroom and onion mixture including the broth. Sprinkle in salt to taste.

Plate the risotto and sprinkle parsley on top.

Serve immediately. Otherwise, the risotto will soak up all the liquid and become soft and mushy.

Enjoy!

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