Creamy Mushroom Risotto with Walnuts Recipe
Creamy, comforting, and full of flavor is the perfect description for this Mushroom Walnut Risotto.
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Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot or wide sauté pan
- Medium skillet
- small saucepan
- Sharp knife, cutting board
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Fine mesh strainer or coffee filter
- Blender or mini food processor
Ingredients
For the Risotto Base
- 1 ½ cups arborio rice or carnaroli rice
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup maitake chopped
- 2 king trumpet sliced into thick coins
- 15 grams dried porcini soaked in hot water
- 1 cup dry white wine or extra stock
- 4 cups chicken stock or veggie, kept warm
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Caramelized shallots:
- 2 large shallots thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup walnuts chopped and dry toasted
For the walnut cream
- ¼ cup walnut
- stock splash, to help blend the walnuts
- Finishing magic:
Finishing touches
- 3 tablespoons butter browned
- Juice + zest of ½ lemon
- Fresh thyme or sage
Instructions
- Rehydrate porcini: put 15 grams dried porcini in a small bowl, cover with 1 cup of hot water. Let sit 15–20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve or coffee filter into a jar and reserve the liquid. Chop the rehydrated porcini finely.
- Warm the 4 cups chicken stock in a saucepan;
- Prep mushrooms: slice 2 cups baby bella mushrooms, tear/chop 1 cup maitake, cut 2 king trumpet into 6–8 thick coins. Pat all dry.
- In a dry skillet toast the chopped ½ cup walnuts (~3–4 minutes) until fragrant; set aside. Make walnut cream: blitz ¼ cup walnut + 2–3 tbsp hot reserved stock in a blender until smooth; add more stock if needed to reach a loose cream.
- Peel & thinly slice 2 large shallots. Mince 3 cloves garlic. Zest the lemon and juice half.
- In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon butter. Add 2 large shallots(sliced) and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until deep golden and jammy, about 12–18 minutes. If they start to brown too fast, lower the heat. Remove and set aside.
- In a wide heavy-bottomed pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add the finely diced 1 small onion and a Pinch salt ; sweat until translucent, ~4–6 minutes. Add minced 3 cloves garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the 1 ½ cups arborio rice and stir to coat — toast for 2–3 minutes, until the edges look translucent but the centers are still chalky. This gives a better texture.
- Pour in 1 cup dry white wine (or extra stock) and stir until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.
- Begin ladling in warm stock (including 2–3 tbsp of the reserved porcini soaking liquid). Add stock one ladle at a time, stirring often but not constantly. Wait until most liquid is absorbed before adding the next ladle. Maintain a gentle simmer, not a boil.
- After ~8–10 minutes of gradual stock additions (rice should be loosening but still chewy), add the sliced baby bellas and chopped rehydrated porcini. Continue adding stock ladle by ladle and stirring.
- At about 14–16 minutes total cooking for the rice (taste test!), stir in the chopped maitake so it cooks but keeps some texture. The rice should be al dente with a creamy, slightly loose sauce.
- In a hot skillet, add a good drizzle of olive oil. Sear king trumpet coins 2–3 minutes per side until golden; remove and keep warm. In the same pan, quickly sear a handful of maitake pieces until edges crisp. Optionally, fry a few sage leaves in butter for 15–20 seconds until crisp; drain on a paper towel. Keep all toppings warm.
- When rice is done (usually 16–18 minutes total from first stock), remove from heat. Stir in: 3 tablespoons butter (previously browned), add 2 tablespoons tahini, walnut cream and toasted walnuts.
- Fold in caramelized shallots, Juice + zest of ½ lemon to brighten
- Garnish with a handful of Fresh thyme or sage
- Taste and season with salt + black pepper. If risotto is too thick, loosen with a splash of hot stock. If too thin, simmer 1 minute.
- Spoon risotto into warmed bowls. Top with seared king trumpet coins and crispy maitake. Scatter remaining toasted walnuts, a few caramelized shallot ribbons, and flaky salt. Drizzle a little brown butter or olive oil and add the fried sage leaf(s). Finish with a small lemon wedge on the side.
Notes
Don’t rush the rice - slow ladles of hot stock create that creamy texture, think steady and relaxed, not fast and furious.
Keep your stock warm - cold liquid shocks the rice and stalls cooking. A barely simmering pot nearby keeps everything smooth.
Sear mushrooms in batches - overcrowding = steaming, not browning. Give them space so they caramelize and build flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 558kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 12gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 297mgPotassium: 532mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 245IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 4mg
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