Risotto with woodland flavors. In autumn, the kitchen transforms, gaining new aromas and flavors.
You enter the forest to admire the foliage and leave with mushrooms and chestnuts.
There are many mushrooms in the forest; this seems to be a prolific year, so you come out with baskets full.
Sometimes it’s just right!
Naturally, you need to gather only what you plan to consume or give away; always be cautious and only pick mushrooms you are familiar with. As a rule, if I’m not certain, even if it looks similar, the mushroom stays in the forest.
I follow the seasons closely in my cooking, so I prefer not to overburden myself to avoid waste later.
And every year, my risotto makes a comeback; the only difference is the cooking location and method. At home, I use the gas stove, while in the mountains, I indulge in the warmth of a wood stove, which changes the cooking times and the aroma of what I cook.
Mushroom and chestnut risotto; I don’t use a specific variety but a mix. Very often, parasol mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera), porcini (Boletus edulis), Caesar’s mushrooms (Amanita caesarea), and chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) are my favorites. Every year, I enter the autumn forest to gather its fruits, whether mushrooms or chestnuts; I also take many photos, as there are days filled with different atmospheres, with the sun or fog enveloping the forest, dressing it in new balances each time.
Naturally, it’s a very simple first course to prepare. So now, I’ll tell you the procedure.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 14 oz rice
- 14 oz mushrooms (Mixed)
- 10.5 oz chestnuts, boiled
- 1 coffee cup chopped parsley
- 1 small glass dry white wine
- 3 qts vegetable broth (Meat broth also works well)
- to taste salt
- to taste olive oil
Tools
The pot for the risotto and the pot for the vegetable broth.
- Pots
Steps
In the chosen pot, sauté over low heat the mushrooms and boiled chestnuts cut into pieces, then add the rice; usually, the rice is toasted first, in this case, the mushrooms first; mix well and
Deglaze with a small glass of dry white wine, let it evaporate
And add hot vegetable broth, continue cooking, adding broth every time the rice tends to dry out… Stir often to prevent sticking, and add salt
When the rice is cooked, finish with chopped parsley; mix well and serve
Purists don’t use parmesan on risotto, but I personally like it, so I would dare to suggest you try it
It’s a risotto full of aromas, perfect for cool autumn days.
Like any risotto, it keeps in the fridge for one to two days at most, naturally losing a bit, but remaining pleasant to taste; I’ve tried reusing it by transforming it into a rice terrine, adding grated parmesan and eggs, setting it into a loaf pan and baking it; to be served with a fondue. Sometimes I prepare it specifically, to serve the terrine at the table as a main course with a parmesan fondue, obtained by blending the cheese in a little hot milk until completely melted
