Wild Mushrooms Truffle Risotto

Wild mushrooms are one of natures greatest gifts. They are not easily found in California, however in the Northwest chanterelles are abounding and a treat in the fall. One of my culinary bucket list items is to forage in the Nordic forests for mushrooms. If wild mushrooms are hard to come by where you live no worries, use cremini, button, shiitake, portobello, shimiji, hens of the wood all work well. A combination of mushrooms is also lovely.

Make this risotto with barley for a change, its wonderfully earthy and chewy or stick with the classic Arborio or Carnaroli. Why can’t I use basmati or jasmine rice You make ask? This is because Arborio or similar varieties have high starch content making the risotto pretty creamy with that lovely bite that we associate risotto with.

Perfecting Risotto

• Add concentrated mushroom soup, its definitely not traditional, but sure adds lots of flavor and creaminess without addition of loads of cream. Just make sure you use quality mushroom soup and taste before you add salt.
• Never wash and rinse risotto rice, it’s the starch that gives risotto its velvety texture. (you can decarb the next day by running an extra mile if you’re worried about the carbs).
• Stir Stir Stir. Be patient and stir the mixture it’s the only way to get that texture, so worth the effort.
• I like to add white wine something I’m drinking. Nothing fancy or nothing cheap. Anything you drink works. But do add the white wine another flavor booster.
• Truffle and mushroom are match made in culinary heaven. No worries if you don’t find truffle or truffle products, this risotto recipe works fine without it too, but if you fancy something extra and luxurious truffles in the way to go. Look for truffle powder, truffle butter/oil/salt, they are fairly easy to find these days. Add truffle to the finished dish so little goes along way.

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• Wild mushroom Truffle risotto, SERVES 4
• 12 oz trimmed wild mushrooms or combination of different mushrooms( I used a combination of chanterelles and shiitakes)
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter, or regular
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• ½ cup dry white wine 
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 cups low sodium veggie or mushroom stock or broth
• ½ cup concentrated high quality mushroom soup, store bought, I used Trader Joe’s
• 1 teaspoon truffle powder or paste or 1 teaspoon truffle infused oil for finishing 
• 1 cup white or whole grain Arborio rice 
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons scallions or parsley to serve
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, vegan, I used just like vegan Parmesan (not sponsored) or regular works well too

Method

1. Warm broth over low heat in a small saucepan.
2. In a heavy skillet melt half the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme sprigs, salt and pepper and stir for an additional minute. Remove mushroom mixture from pan and set aside.
3. Add remaining butter and olive oil to pan over medium heat. Once melted, add rice and stir until rice begins to look translucent, 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the dry white wine and lemon juice and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed. Add one cup veggie or mushroom broth and stir until almost all the broth is absorbed.
5. Continuing adding 1 cup of broth at a time, and stir until liquid is almost absorbed. (takes about 20-25 minutes.)
6. Add mushroom soup along with the last cup of broth and stir.
7. Add mushrooms mixture into the rice and stir to combine. Gently stir in the parmesan cheese, truffle paste or powder and cook for an additional minute on low heat. Risotto should be creamy, but firm to the bite. Transfer risotto to a serving bowl and top it with freshly ground pepper, parmesan and fresh chopped scallions or parsley.