Creamy two-mushroom risotto

This delicious risotto has not one but two types of mushrooms! That, plus aromatics like garlic, onion, white wine, and thyme, gives it a nice umami flavor.

I’ve had plenty of mediocre or downright bad risottos, so it was important to me to make this one flavorful. Trust me, even risotto skeptics will like this. It requires a little patience and a lot of stirring, but it’s worth it.

The mushrooms in this risotto pair really well with earthy wines like Nebbiolo or a drier (cold weather) Pinot Noir. Buon appetito!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, finely sliced
• 4 ounces maitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 4 cups vegetable stock, kept warm (see note)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio wine
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano plus more for garnish
• Chopped parsley for garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent.
2. Add cremini mushrooms, butter, garlic, and thyme. Cook until mushrooms are slightly cooked down, about 5-7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note: I used 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and no salt because the broth and cheese add quite a bit of salt on their own.
3. Add rice and stir so it’s evenly coated with the mushroom mixture. Toast for 2 minutes, stirring gently.
4. Add white wine and cook until wine is mostly evaporated, stirring occasionally.
5. Add 1/2 cup of broth and stir until stir is fully absorbed. Keep adding 1/2 cup more broth at a time, each time stirring until stock is fully absorbed.
6. When rice is cooked but al dente (use this smear test), remove from heat. Note, you may not need all your broth, depending on how fast your rice cooks. I only used 3 1/2 cups in mine.
7. Stir in maitake mushrooms and Pecorino Romano abs let sit for 5 minutes. The heat from the risotto will cook the maitakes. Remove thyme stems, sprinkle with parsley and more cheese, and serve.

Note: Using a flavorful broth is important for this. I used “Better than Bouillon” to make 4 cups of broth and I kept it warm in a separate pot on my stove.