Mountain risotto with oyster mushrooms

Winter, snow and mountains – that’s how I would describe Austria right now. I always feel calmer and healthier in the mountains. Living in the Alpine foothills, the children here learn to ski from the age of 2 and the people hike every weekend. I always get excited when I go to the mountains. The scent of mushrooms somehow immediately reminds me of that feeling. When I was little, I used to go with my father for walks in the forest to pick mushrooms, which he then cooked at home. Even though my mother wouldn’t let me eat them (because as all mothers do, mine was also worried 🙂 ), their smell still reminds me of those precious memories.

Today I have prepared for you risotto with oyster mushrooms. They resemble the look and taste of meat very closely and are therefore popular among vegetarians. Of course, you can also use the classic porcini mushrooms instead, but I suggest you let yourself be surprised by the wonderful taste of the oyster mushrooms.

Preparing risotto is relatively easy if you follow a few steps, namely:

using a risotto rice, because its high starch content creates a creamy texture when cooked e.g. Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano
using good wine
gradually adding the stock and wine, and stirring frequently

You may have heard the unwritten rule that we should only cook with wine that we’re willing to drink. In order to make the dish tasty, it is important to use products of good quality. For this reason, use only good dry white wine of your choice for the risotto.

Make this recipe at home and enjoy a delicious mountain risotto with herbs and mushrooms.

Servings: 2
Time: 1 H
Difficulty: Medium
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Ingredients

200 g Risotto rice Arborio
300 g Oyster mushrooms (cleaned, trimmed, and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces)
2-3 Shallots
1 small clove Garlic
450 ml Vegetable stock
150 ml White wine, dry
40 g Butter
60 g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Olive oil
Thyme, Basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat some olive oil and 20 g butter in a pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms.
The mushrooms release water and reduce in volume as they cook.
Once the liquid has been almost fully reduced, season with salt, pepper and thyme and leave the mushrooms in the pan for another 5-6 minutes until until mostly golden brown on all sides. Stir periodically.
Meanwhile, cover the bottom of a casserole with olive oil and heat briefly over medium-high heat. Watch out not to overheat the olive oil.
Add the finely chopped shallots and fry until completely softened or until translucent in colour.
Without washing the rice stir it in the casserole together with a pressed garlic clove and let it fry for about a minute.
Add the wine, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid.
Add around 100 ml of stock at a time, stirring regularly to keep the rice from sticking to the edges of the pan. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 100 ml.
Together with the last 100 ml of stock, add the cooked mushrooms and season to taste with salt, pepper, basil and thyme.
Let simmer for a couple of minutes and continue stirring constantly. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy.
Stir in parmesan cheese and butter, put the lid over the casserole and remove from the heat.
Set the risotto aside for a 3-5 minutes and serve warm.