Thanks to two of our wonderful wine club members, I was generously gifted a large amount of freshly foraged chanterelle mushrooms, so I cooked ‘em all in one delicious dish. Rich, creamy risotto is a great vehicle for chanterelle flavor and texture, but you could use any variety of fresh mushrooms for this recipe. Chanterelles have a magical, subtle perfume of apricot and nutmeg that can be easily overshadowed by other ingredients, so I use more restraint in my seasonings here. If you use other types of mushrooms, you may want to add more onion, garlic, herbs or spices. Wine and music for the cook is recommended – you’ll be at the stovetop for a bit, but it’s worth it!
Pairs oh so well with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay . . . . What’s your favorite?
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Ingredients
1 quart homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 cups risotto rice, such as carnaroli, arborio or vialone nano (do NOT rinse rice)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 – 2 pounds chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon light miso paste
3/4 cup dry white wine or pinot noir
With Chanterelles, 1-2 teaspoons Nutmeg – freshly grated is best
With Other Mushrooms 1-2 teaspoons of Thyme, black pepper to taste
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
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Instructions
Clean and trim your mushrooms:
A pastry brush or mushroom brush is helpful to brush off bits of the forest floor from your foraged mushrooms. I’m not afraid to wash mushrooms with water as it will cook off quickly. Trim off any woody stems and less pretty bits and save them to be simmered in your stock. Slice your pretty mushrooms into strips as you like, they will shrink while cooking so don’t go too thin.
To prepare your stock:
Place your mushroom trimmings in a medium pot and cover them with a quart and a half of chicken stock and bring them to a simmer while you finish prepping. Strain the mushroom trimmings out of your stock and keep it warm on a low burner.
Sauté Mushrooms
I always dry sauté chanterelles first in a hot dry pan to get the water out. This step makes better flavor and texture. Heat a heavy 12-inch sauté pan over medium high heat and add mushrooms. You’ll see a lot of liquid pooling in the pan. Keep stirring the mushrooms to evaporate all the liquid, then add the butter and oil to the pan. (If you are using cultivated mushrooms, you can usually skip the dry sauté and start with oil and butter). Add oil and 2 TB butter (save some butter for finishing the dish), season with salt and a sprinkle of nutmeg, cook, stirring occasionally, until excess moisture has evaporated and mushrooms are well browned, about 8 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan and set to the side.
Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and aromatic, for about 4 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is evenly coated in oil and toasted but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in miso paste until evenly incorporated.
Add wine and cook, stirring, until mostly reduced, about 2 minutes.
Turn down to medium heat and start adding the stock to the rice 1 cup at a time. Use that first cup of stock to loosen any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and stray grains stuck to the side. Stir constantly while the liquid absorbs, adding more stock when the last cup has completely absorbed.
Keep stirring and adding stock until rice is al dente and surrounded by fluid, not-too-thick creamy suspension, 25–30 minutes. It should take 2–3 minutes for each addition to be absorbed; if things are moving faster than this, reduce heat to medium-low. Start checking the rice after about 15 minutes; the grains should be tender but not mushy. Add most of the sauteed Chanterelle mushrooms back into the risotto with your last few stock cups and stir to incorporate (save some mushrooms for topping the risotto).
Remove risotto pot from heat, add 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and stir until melted. Gradually add Parmesan, stirring until cheese is melted and liquid surrounding risotto is creamy but very fluid. Stir in more hot stock if needed to achieve the right consistency. Taste and season with salt, nutmeg, and the scantest amount of black pepper if you need it.
Divide risotto among warm bowls. Top each with the remaining sauteed mushrooms, a drizzle of olive oil and more Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Risotto is best when it is hot and fresh. Leftover risotto is best fried up as Arancini or Risotto al Salto (risotto pancake fried in butter).