Mushroom Risotto — Risotto aux champignons

Mushroom Risotto

Are you as fond of champignons des bois as I am? When I still lived in France, during the fall, my friend B. used to drive me to the local forêt (woods) where we eagerly spent hours looking for cèpes, chanterelles and girolles (a type of chanterelles). I was fascinated by how much B. knew about wild mushrooms. Moi ? I was quite clueless, to put it mildly, and would probably have picked something toxic, had B. not been around. In fact, in France, when you are unsure about how safe a mushroom is, you can visit your local pharmacist who will evaluate the mushrooms for you. No risk then; this is a process pretty handy.

As I was thinking about my next story for the Boston Globe’s Seasons Column, mushrooms came spontaneously to my mind. I knew right away that I wanted to combine them into a risotto. At this time of year, there is hardly a week going by without a risotto prepared for dinner — we love it that much.

So I wrote this mushroom risotto recipe for the Seasons Column in the Boston Globe’s Food section published today. Creamy, earthy, delicious for a casual meal. Or a more dressed-up one, if you prefer.

Well, risotto is one of those dishes that never disappoint, don’t you think?

Posted in Gluten Free, Grains, Vegetarian

29 comments

  1. My husband made the best risotto. His secret rests in massaging the Arborio rice. I received premium mushrooms from a producer, I will ask him to cook one for me. We make risotto patties on weekends with what we have left.

  2. Risotto is one of my favorite things to make in the world. I usually make it with porcini or chanterelles. Delicious!

  3. Sounds great, haven’t made a risotto in a while, I miss the earthy taste of freshly picked wild mushrooms, used to pick them in the hills of South Bohemia as well.

  4. Béa, you are a constant source of inspiration. Whenever I am at a loss for what to make for dinner, which seems to be a lot lately, you come to the rescue with a delicious recipe. Yes, this is a perfect comfort food for the cold, cloudy weather we’ve been having. Has anyone seen the sun lately?

  5. Not that I don’t adore mushroom risotto… I’m just obsessed with your dishware. Where do you pick it up?

  6. Mushroom Risotto is one of our staples here at home. I love a big, steaming bowl of it and it’s never as much work as people seem to think it is, not so? And there are such beautiful mushrooms at the market this time of year. Yum.

  7. I love the cutlery in this picture. May I ask where you got it? Thank you.

  8. Je suis en admiration devant la qualité de ta cuisine et de tes photos. Ce risotto est excellent avec les champignons que tu as mis.

  9. oh Bea, your works are always fantastic. The photo of potatoes is superb! and you so sweet… good luck for your little arriving “patatina” ! 😉

  10. It’s winter here in Cincinnati, too — and risotto sounds so wonderful. Bea, thank you for providing us with such beautiful inspiration and wonderfully tasty preparations. You are amazing! I really enjoy your posts, recipes and photos. Just beautiful. Hope you are feeling well. The Very Zest to you!

  11. Thanks everyone for your sweet notes. I will try to dig out the info about plates, if I recall. Cutlery was purchased in a kitchen store in Paris.

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  14. I made used this recipe tonight and it was amazing. The best risotto I’ve made. I served it with a salad of frisee, endive, shaved fennel, and shaved Parmesan. A little white wine to top it off and you just can’t get better than that! Thank you!

  15. Meghan, thanks so much. I am really delighted you enjoyed the risotto!

  16. Was the combination of olive oil and butter to reduce saturated fat or for the flavor?

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