Mushroom Risotto with Porcini and Button Mushrooms — in 35 Minutes
Yvonne Ammann VegetarianSoak 20 g dried porcini in hot water, add the water to the stock. Fry the button mushrooms separately over high heat. Risotto as in the base recipe, the porcini toasted with the rice, the mushrooms added in the last 5 minutes. Butter, Parmesan, parsley. The porcini give the flavour that fresh button mushrooms alone lack.
Restaurant mushroom risotto tastes more intense than the one from home, and the reason is a 20-gram packet: dried porcini. They are on the shelf all year, cost little and together with their soaking water give the forest flavour that button mushrooms lack. In autumn, chanterelles from the market join in — then it is the best risotto of the year.
Ingredients
- 320 g Risotto rice (carnaroli)
- 20 g Dried porcini (dried)
- 300 g Button mushrooms
- 1 piece Onion
- 1 piece Garlic clove
- 70 g Butter
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 dl White wine
- 1 l Stock (hot)
- 60 g Parmesan (grated)
- ½ bunch Parsley
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
- 1
Soak the porcini
Soak the porcini in 2 dl hot water for 15 minutes. Lift out, roughly chop. Pour the soaking water through a fine sieve into the hot stock — it is concentrated mushroom flavour.
- 2
Fry the mushrooms
Slice the mushrooms. Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a pan until very hot, fry the mushrooms 6 minutes without much stirring until browned. Salt, set aside. Too many at once and they boil instead of frying.
- 3
Toast the rice
Finely chop the onion and garlic, soften in 30 g butter for 3 minutes. Add the rice and chopped porcini, toast 2 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and let it reduce.
- 4
Add the stock
Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed, then the next — 18 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms in the last 5 minutes.
- 5
Finish
Off the heat, beat in the remaining butter and Parmesan until glossy. Pepper, rest 2 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve at once.
Tips
- In autumn, 200 g fresh chanterelles or porcini instead of the button mushrooms — fry briefly in butter and fold in only at the very end so they keep their shape.
- Dried porcini keep in the cupboard for a year. A 20 g packet costs about 5 CHF at Migros and Coop — worth always having one. They improve any mushroom sauce or soup too.
- A squeeze of lemon or a spoonful of mascarpone at the mantecare stage rounds off the mushroom risotto. Neither traditional, both good.
What can I substitute?
Mushroom powder into the stock. Soy sauce brings the depth the button mushrooms lack — you cannot taste it out.
Chestnut mushrooms have more flavour than white. King oyster mushrooms in slices have the most bite.
Alcohol-free. The acidity is needed so the risotto is not heavy.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my mushroom risotto taste of little?
Because only fresh button mushrooms went in. They are 90 percent water and give up little flavour. Dried porcini plus their soaking water bring the depth. And the mushrooms must be fried hard, not boiled in the risotto.
Can I reheat mushroom risotto?
Not well — it turns stodgy. Better: shape leftovers into risotto cakes and fry crisp in butter, or coat with egg and breadcrumbs as arancini. On day two that is almost better than day one.
What goes with mushroom risotto?
It is a main course — just a lamb's lettuce or green salad alongside. As a side for a veal escalope or beef fillet on Sunday.
How much does mushroom risotto cost per person?
About 3 CHF per person with button mushrooms and dried porcini. With fresh porcini or chanterelles in autumn, 6 to 8 CHF.
How you collect recipes
Paste a link
Copy the address of any recipe page — including this one. Ingredients, amounts and steps are recognised automatically.
Photograph a cookbook
Take a photo of a page from your cookbook. Even handwritten recipes from your grandmother get read.
Pull from Cookidoo
Got a Thermomix? Your Cookidoo recipes come into your collection with one click.
