Mushroom risotto is a classic dish, and this risotto has an incredible flavor! Every second put into this recipe is well worth it for a family night or a romantic dinner. Finish it with a hint of truffle oil for a bolder flavor.
Slice shallots and mushrooms thinly and mince garlic. Measure and prepare other ingredients.
Combine broth, water, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a sauce pot and bring it to simmer. Turn the heat down to lowest setting so it stays warm.
Preheat a large cooking pan over medium-high heat. Pour it olive oil and let it warm up.
Add sliced shallots and saute until browned.
Add sliced mushrooms and saute for a few minutes until cooked and start to brown as well.
Stir in garlic and let it cook until fragrant. Lower the temperature to medium or just a little less than medium.
Mix in Arborio rice and let it cook for about a minute.
Pour in the first half of white wine and stir it to spread everything evenly. Let rice simmer and absorb the wine. Stir a little as rice simmers. Cook until rice absorbed the liquid.
Ladle in about a cup of hot broth. Stir and let rice simmer as it absorbs the liquid.
Once the liquid is absorbed, pour in the second half of wine and another cup of stock mixture. Stir and let is simmer while rice absorbs the liquid.
Continue to add about a cup of hot broth at a time and letting the rice absorb the liquid before each addition. Remember to stir often but not constantly.
Cook risotto until rice is al dente. You want to taste rice often and let it cook until it has a little resistance in the middle when you bite it.
Optional:
Stir in a little bit of truffle oil right before serving. (Start with no more than 1/2 tsp because it's very potent and taste before adding more.)
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Notes
Substituting wine: note that the flavor will change slightly. You can simply use extra stock, chicken or vegetable, instead of wine. You can also add a little (3-4 tablespoons) grape juice, just choose the juice brand that is not very sweet. To get a slight tang, mix in about a tablespoon of white wine vinegar into the stock.
DON’T try to rush risotto! You may be tempted to speed up the cooking process, but don’t. These cooking steps are simple but they do take the time and are repetitive. All are necessary to get the perfect consistency, texture, and flavor of rice you want!
Feel free to make it creamy or cheesy! If you wish to make your mushroom risotto creamy and/or cheesy, you are welcome to add about 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and/or 1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese. Add cream and/or cheesy during the last couple of minutes of cooking, stir and just let it heat through and incorporate.