I have a weakness for amazing risotto, it’s hard for me to resist ordering it when I see it on a menu. This is my husband’s favorite dish to pair with lamb and a nice glass of wine. It’s rich, creamy and full of flavor. Giada De Laurentiis has a fabulous fool proof recipe that everybody should try. Patience is needed to master the delicious flavor and texture of a great risotto. This dish needs to be constantly stirred and requires a lot of attention – it is definitely cooked with love and is pure comfort on a plate.
I’ve made this for numerous dinner parties and there are never any left overs. It is also the side dish that my husband request every Valentine’s Day and birthday. (Although this year he has requested Osso Bucco and Saffron Risotto – so my recipe search begins!) The mushrooms give the risotto a woodsy color and nutty taste. You can’t go wrong with this dish…it looks and taste amazing!
Mushroom Risotto with Peas
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe
Ingredients:
8 cups canned chicken broth
½ ounce dried wild mushrooms
¼ cup regular salted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
10 ounces crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups Arborio rice or short-grain white rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
¾ cup frozen peas
1 cup grated Parmesan
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Pour chicken broth into a heavy medium saucepan. Bring broth to a simmer, add the wild mushrooms. Let the mushrooms reconstitute for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and keep the broth warm.
In a heavy large pan, melt better over medium heat. Then add olive oil and onions. Saute onions until tender and translucent. Add crimini mushrooms and garlic. Using a slotted spoon, remove the wild mushrooms from the broth. Place on a cutting board and finely chop the mushrooms. Add the chopped wild mushrooms to the saucepan. Saute until the mushrooms are soft and the juices have evaporated. Add the rice and let it toast for a few minutes then add the white wine and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Make sure to stir often to prevent burning. Add 1 cup of hot broth and turn the heat down to medium low. Allow rice to simmer until the liquid has be absorbed. Continue to stir often. Keep cooking and stirring, adding more broth by the cupfuls until the rice is tender and risotto is creamy. Stir in the frozen peas when you are down to your last 1 or 2 cups of chicken broth. Once the rice is tender and creamy, add the Parmesan. Season with pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Note, if your risotto is not tender or creamy after absorbing 8 cups of broth, continue to add warm water or broth until you achieve the desired consistency. 8 cups should be plenty though if you cook it over medium-low heat. The key is the rice has to absorb the liquid at a slow pace to become tender and creamy.
Enjoy!
Print 
PDF
My Husband said that this looks like a must try! Thanks for the great Blog.
Love, Tiffany
I hope you guys try it…it's so yummy! Thank you for reading!! Yay!!
ooOOo what if you did a variation of this with edamame instead of peas? 🙂
That sounds like a great idea! Extra protein & another layer of texture – I think I will have to try this variation. Thank you for the suggestion!