Nothing says “comfort food” like a warm, creamy dish of risotto, and while traditionally made with Arborio rice, you can actually go for other whole grains as well. Mix it up with the season’s mushrooms and you’ve got one hearty meal.
Many types of whole grains can be used when making risotto as most will still achieve the same creamy texture. The only grains you should avoid are tough grains like kamut or wheat berries.
When it comes to mushrooms, it’s best to use the freshest ones you can find, so make sure to check what’s in season. Some edible wild mushrooms that work great with this recipe are shiitake, morels, king bolete, oyster mushrooms, chanterelles, and maitake.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. wild mushroom
- 8 tbsp. butter
- 2 small shallots, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ¾ cup wild rice
- ¾ cup Arborio rice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Tools
- Heavy skillet
- Large pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Ladle
Directions
- Heat the stock in a large pot and bring to a simmer. You will be gradually ladling this broth into the rice later on and it needs to be kept simmering. Set at low-medium heat while you prep the rest of your ingredients.
- Melt half of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté mushrooms and shallots until tender, around 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme sprigs, salt, and pepper. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Melt the remaining butter in the pan over medium heat and stir in your grains until it starts to look translucent, around 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine and constantly stir until the alcohol burns off.
- Add the broth gradually, one ladle at a time, constantly stirring until almost all the broth is absorbed. Repeat until the grains are fully translucent and tender. This step will take 20-40 minutes, depending on which type of grain you’re using.
- Add in the mushroom mixture, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, top with freshly ground pepper and shaved parmesan and serve whole hot.
Interested in native
Wild Food recipes?
Written by an author of American Indian descent, Native Harvests contains recipes for clover soup, purslane salad, young milkweed spears, fiddlehead stew, and more.
