Champignon mushroom risotto: here is a vegetarian first course that often appears on my table. A dish I make often because it’s tasty, simple to prepare and even my son doesn’t dislike it. A valid alternative to pasta but not only: presented in this elegant format, wouldn’t it be a great idea for Christmas lunch? Or for other occasions when you have guests? Here’s how to make it
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups Carnaroli rice
- 8 champignon mushrooms (medium size)
- 1 onion
- 4 1/4 cups vegetable broth (ready-made)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 packet saffron
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Steps
Clean the mushrooms by removing any dirt and rubbing them with a piece of damp kitchen paper. Slice them roughly. Peel and slice the onion. Sauté it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir. They will immediately release water: as soon as this starts to evaporate, pour in the wine and let it evaporate. Then add the rice and a ladle of hot broth. Ideally you should have vegetable broth, but if you don’t have time to make it use a bouillon cube. Keep uncovered over high heat, continue to stir; after a minute cover with the lid and lower the heat.
Meanwhile wash and chop a sprig of rosemary: you can choose to chop it finely, or do as I did and put a large whole sprig to flavor the rice and then remove it (a choice dictated by the age of the little diners).
Continue cooking for about 15–18 minutes. Near the end dissolve the sachet of saffron in half a cup of broth and pour it into the risotto. I used a particular orange-colored saffron, but the saffron you find at the supermarket will work perfectly. At the very end, just before turning off the heat, add a tablespoon of butter and some Parmesan to finish the risotto. Serve hot.
If you like to serve risotto in a particular shape you can use a ring mold: pour the rice in and level it, adding a small sprig of rosemary on top, then gently lift the ring mold.
If instead you want to present it as in the photo, undercook it a little. Put it into muffin liners and place them in the oven for 2–3 minutes. Let them rest and then invert onto a plate, carefully removing the liner. A touch of rosemary, a drizzle of olive oil and… serve.
A few tips about risotto
When I attended the Gambero Rosso cooking school, the chef Giuseppe Fulgidezza who gave the lessons said three things about rice:
Rice is like a small child: you can’t leave it alone. It means you can’t put the rice on the stove and then get distracted by something else, maybe leaving the kitchen: it will stick in no time!
Rice needs to go on a swing, otherwise it gets “bored”. This means that to reach a good point of cooking you can’t keep the heat at the same level all the time, but you must alternate: high heat and without a lid when you add liquid, low heat with a lid when the liquid starts to dry. Then repeat.
For rice it’s useless to look at the clock. It means that despite the cooking times indicated on boxes, the only way to check doneness is to taste it.
