Directions
October is the month of mushrooms and when the summer heat begins to subside, it is then that the mushrooms return to the woods and our tables after the rains of September. Autumn is a truly generous season: among the chestnut groves, porcini mushrooms can be found at every step, and even the chanterelles are certainly not shy if you know where to look.
So today, we want to offer you a classic recipe, a mixed mushroom risotto. They don’t have to be all porcini or chanterelles: a couple of them are enough.
Just long enough to cook the risotto and you will have a great first course, simple and easy to prepare, but with that particular charm that only fresh mushrooms can give to a dish. If you want a more accurate presentation and offer a refined dish to your guests, cook and serve the risotto in a pasta mold, giving it a pie shape.
Ingredients for mixed mushroom risotto
6 servings
- 400 grams of Carnaroli rice
- 400 grams of mixed mushrooms
- a knob of butter, 50 grams
- 35 grams of olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 liters of vegetable broth
- 1 glass of dry white wine
- 150 grams of Parmigiano Reggiano
- 5 grams of salt and pepper
- 30 grams of parsley
How to prepare mixed mushroom risotto
Let’s start with the mushrooms: clean them gently with a wet cloth, without wetting them and then cut them into chunks.
Mash and chop the garlic and put it in a pan with 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Let it fry over low heat for 4 minutes, then add the mushrooms.
Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes. If they get too dry, add a little broth. Set them aside.
With a sharp knife, chop the onion and stew gently in a pan with high sides with olive oil and a small piece of butter. Cook it for at least 10 minutes.
Put the rice to toast in the pan for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the white wine, let it evaporate, add the broth a little at a time, bringing the rice to cook—about 15 minutes.
Set aside some mushrooms for the final decoration. After cooking the risotto, put the mushrooms into the pan, stir, stir in the butter and Parmesan. Let it rest for 5 minutes, season with a sprinkling of pepper and parsley if you like, and then serve the risotto on the table.
If you want a tasty variant of the classic mushroom risotto, try adding a couple of scallops to the basic recipe and you will have a scary gourmet risotto!
If you prefer a more rustic and tasty mushroom risotto, add 50 grams of Gorgonzola and 60 grams of smoked bacon, cut into strips and then browned in a pan.
Which wine to pair with mixed mushroom risotto?
All these forest flavors deserve structured, savory and enveloping sparkling wines, such as Oltrepò, Champagne and Franciacorta or the Trento Rosé Brut from the Monfort winery, a small hidden gem in the Dolomites. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Brunello di Montalcino are excellent too.
If you want to combine a cocktail, choose the complex and bitter taste of the Manhattan.
