mushroom and truffle oil risotto
When the bloggers behind What-To-Where asked me to come up with a savormania menu for a Valentine’s Day dinner, the first idea that popped up in my mind was a risotto. But not just any type of risotto, I wanted to feature a recipe highlighting my favorite ingredient — truffle. I didn’t have any fresh truffles on hand, so I chose to work with mushrooms and truffle oil instead. The result is just as mouthwatering as the real thing. If you love truffles just as much as I do, this romantic main course is bound to please you and your loved one alike! Don’t worry if you’re not a truffle fan however, because you can easily omit the truffle oil and turn this recipe into a mushroom risotto instead.
Preparing a risotto does require a bit more work than cooking a pasta dish, but special occasions call for special recipes! From start to finish, this recipe will take you about 45 minutes of active time, but every minute you pass stirring the risotto will be well worth it once you and your loved one take your first bite. To make any type of risotto, you’ll need two saucepans — one big, to cook the risotto, and one small, where you’ll have to keep a heaping quantity of vegetable or chicken broth boiling until the risotto is cooked through. The perfect, al dente yet moist risotto is achieved by slowly adding broth to the risotto and stirring it in until all the liquid evaporates. The step is repeated with each new cup of vegetable broth until you finish the saucepan and the risotto is cooked through. I tend to begin the process by wetting the risotto with white wine and stirring it in until all the liquid is evaporated, however I hear from close sources that champagne also works well and brings the risotto an interesting twist. Have you ever tried working with champagne instead of wine? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
The mushrooms bring nice flavor and color to the risotto thanks to the juices they release. I cook them together with onions and the risotto so that all flavors blend together with the rice. Once the risotto is ready, I remove it from the heat and add Parmesan cheese to seal in the flavors and a bit of truffle oil to bring even more richness to the dish. I use an amazing truffle oil from Oliviers & Co., it smells so delicious that it infuses my kitchen when I cook the risotto!
Making risotto might seem complicated if you’ve never done it before, but once you’ve tried and succeeded there’s no way back. Your loved one will thank you at the end of the meal!
- 4 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ cups (40g) white-button mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, thinly diced
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons truffle oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chives to decorate
- In a small saucepan, bring the broth to boil. Leave the broth boiling, you will need it to make the risotto.
- In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium-high heat. Sauté the mushrooms for 6 minutes until they soften. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent, for 1 more minute. Add the Arborio rice and coat the grains well in the olive oil until slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and stir constantly until it evaporates.
- With a soup ladle, add a spoonful of broth to the risotto saucepan. Stir constantly until it evaporates. Continue the process, spoon by spoon, until no more broth remains and until the risotto is slightly al dente but soft. The process takes about 20 to 25 minutes total.
- Remove the risotto from the heat. Add Parmesan cheese, truffle oil, salt and pepper. Serve in two plates and decorate with chives.
TO MAKE FOR MORE PEOPLE: You can easily double or triple this recipe.
How did your mushroom and truffle oil risotto come out? Share photos of your recipe on Instagram by tagging #savormania