Recipes

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Embrace winter with a warm hug from this earthy risotto. Assorted dried and fresh mushrooms deliver diverse textures and distinctive flavors to delight your taste buds. Baby kale adds pops of color and a slight peppery note, harmonizing well with freshly grated Parmesan.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 cups cold water
  • 2 cups mixed dried mushrooms, such as oyster, portobello and shiitake
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs, divided
  • ½ cup salted butter, divided
  • 1 lb mixed fresh mushrooms, such as baby bella, hen of the woods, oyster, shiitake, white button and wood ear, trimmed and halved
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp coarse kosher salt
  • ½ tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
  • ½ cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups lightly packed baby kale, plus additional for garnish

Directions

  1. For mushroom stock, in a 4-quart saucepan, combine cold water, dried mushrooms and 2 thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  2. Strain mushrooms through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl; discard mushrooms and thyme. Return stock to the saucepan. Gently simmer over low heat.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, melt ¼ cup butter over medium heat. Add fresh mushrooms and shallots. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, salt, black pepper and remaining 2 thyme sprigs. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl, removing and discarding thyme; set aside.
  4. Melt remaining ¼ cup butter in same Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in rice. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until rice begins to look translucent, stirring often.
  5. Add vinegar to rice mixture; cook and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add 1 cup hot mushroom stock; cook and stir until almost all of the stock is absorbed. Continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes, adding 1 cup of stock at a time and stirring after each addition until almost absorbed.
  6. Set aside 1 cup cooked mushroom mixture. Stir remaining mushroom mixture into cooked rice. Gently stir in cheese, then 2 cups kale. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Mixture should be creamy and rice slightly firm when done. Top with reserved mushrooms. Garnish with additional kale, if desired. Serve immediately.

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