To most people, Autumn is all about pumpkin and pumpkin spice. To me its all about the shrooms. Yep mushrooms, all kinds of mushrooms, wild, fresh, all the weird shapes all of it. I even love seeing the inedible ones pop up overnight. Autumn to me, means mushrooms. So this recipe is for my kindred mushroom lovers, a creamy mushroom risotto topped with juicy fried girolles.
My love for mushrooms started young when my grandmother used to take me picking field mushrooms. We would gather a bag of mushrooms bring them back to her kitchen and she would cook them in butter, milk and a little pinch of white pepper. Poured over thick white bread smothered in creamery butter and right there in her kitchen my love for mushrooms was ignited.
I still eat mushrooms like this, but one of my other favourite ways to enjoy them is in a risotto. There is nothing nicer on a chilly Autumn evening than a big bowl of creamy mushroom risotto. Top that off with even more mushrooms and hey, I’m in heaven. This creamy mushroom risotto is not a quick dinner but it is easy to make and will impress fellow mushroom devotees.
This creamy risotto will take about an hour to make and is great for a weeknight dinner if you have time, my family love it. You may leave out the wine if you wish or if you want to serve this to children. I have made this without wine, I substitute a tablespoon of white wine vinegar and it still tastes great. If you can’t get your hands on the girolle mushrooms (chanterelle) then any other wild mushroom will work well too. I have served this without the wild mushrooms and it is still a lovely risotto.
The best rice to use here is arborio rice, you will get the best results from this. It is is high starch rice that lends itself well to strong flavours. Arborio rice will also give you that lovely creamy texture you want from this risotto. Chestnut mushrooms are also the best mushrooms to use here, they have more flavour then button mushrooms, however if all you can find is button mushrooms then go ahead and use them. You will still have a lovely creamy mushroom risotto.
What’s so good about this creamy mushroom risotto:
- It’s creamy and tasty
- Filling and warming
- Mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D
- You should get about 50% of your RDA of Vitamin D from one serving of this risotto
- Protein, mushrooms are a good source of protein.
Got leftovers, what can I do?
While this is best enjoyed made fresh and eaten straight away, if you do have any leftover it can be kept in the fridge. I make arancini if I have any of this risotto leftover. I add some feta to the centre of mine. To find out more about arancini do check out my friend Christina’s recipe, she really is an expert on Italian food. Because this is a rice dish it is important to reheat the risotto fully before you eat it. Rice must be kept covered in the fridge and I would not keep it longer than a day. I don’t recommend freezing risotto, the rice will become hard and the risotto can become grainy.
Creamy Mushroom Risotto
Deliciously creamy and rich, this mushroom risotto is perfect for a chilly Autumn evening. Topped with tasty girolle mushrooms this risotto is for all the mushroom lovers.
Ingredients
- 20 g dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 medium onion (185g) finely chopped
- 100 g chestnut mushrooms wiped clean and sliced
- 2 fat cloves of garlic minced
- 1 + 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 350 g arborio rice
- 75 ml dry white wine optional
- 1.2 litres vegetable stock
- 75 g butter, divided into two portions of 50g and 25g
- 100 g wild girolle mushrooms (chanterelle) wiped clean, and cut in half if very large
- The juice of half a lemon, about 3 tablespoons
- 30 g vegetarian parmesan style cheese finely grated, plus more for serving
- 5 or 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper plus more for serving
- 1 large tbsp creme fraiche optional, but recommended
Instructions
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Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with just boiled water. Leave to sit for about 20 minutes. Until the mushrooms are soft. Once soft drain the mushrooms then chop them into slightly small pieces
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Heat the oil in a large saute pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the chestnut mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Stirring often.
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Now add the rice, let the rice soak up any juices. Stir often, cooking for about 3 minutes.
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Pour in the wine and stir. Once the wine has been absorbed into the rice stir in the porcini mushrooms, thyme and 1/4 tsp each of sea salt and cracked black pepper.
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Now start adding the vegetable stock, one ladle at a time. Stir the rice often, once the rice absorbs the liquid add another ladle of stock. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes.
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Towards the end of cooking the risotto is a good time to fry up those wild girolle mushrooms.
Melt 50g of butter in a frying pan, add the girolle mushrooms then cook for about 5 minutes over a medium to high heat. Try not to stir the mushrooms too much, just turn them once or twice, this will keep them nice and firm.
Set these aside until you are ready to serve.
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Once all the stock has been added add the lemon juice then check the seasoning, I usually end up using about 1/2 tsp each of sea salt and black pepper.
Add the remaining butter and stir vigorously until the butter has been incorporated. Then stir in the creme fraiche if using.
Now turn off the heat and stir in the cheese.
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Serve immediately topped with the fried girolles, some cracked black pepper and some freshly grated vegetarian parmesan.
Recipe Notes
- Calories are approximate and are based on 4 servings
- I use a gas stove please adjust the temperature according to the stove you have.
- The wine is optional, I have made this without wine and have added a tablespoon of white wine vinegar in its place. The result has been almost as good as if you use wine.
- If you can't get girolle (chanterelle) mushrooms then any other wild mushroom will work well too. I have made this without the wild mushroom topping and it was perfectly acceptable.
- The creme fraiche is optional but I do recommend it for extra creaminess.
- To make this vegan, sub the cheese for a similar vegan cheese, and try a dairy-free creme fraiche. Please note I haven't tested this as a vegan recipe.
More Delicious Mushroom Recipes:
- Mushroom Curry with Spinach and Chickpeas
- Mushrooms on Toast
- Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Pasta
- Mushroom Fried Rice
- Stuffed Mini Portobello Mushrooms
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I’m always intimidated by the fancy mushrooms at the store and have no idea of how to use them so thank you for the inspiration! Because risotto is one of my all time favorites 🙂 Can’t wait to try!
Oh, Heather, you are so welcome! I’m so excited to see that you might try some wild mushrooms! I hope you enjoy the recipe Xx
This looks so rich! It’s perfect. My husband and I are great mushroom lovers, too. Could put them on everything. We tried growing some this summer … with varying degrees of success. Will probably just buy them from now on.
Thanks Noel! I think I could put mushrooms on everything too! In fact, I have to stop myself from adding them to every dish I make 😉 I’ve never tried growing them though, I imagine it’s not easy Xx
Ah, I love mushrooms and I love risotto but I have yet to make mushroom risotto. This looks so delicious. I can’t wait to try. Saving for later.
Thank you Veena, oh I do hope you get a chance to make it. If you love mushrooms and risotto you will love this Xx