Lidia Bastianich Shares Her Mushroom Risotto Recipe: An Italian Dish That Julia Child Loved (EXCLUSIVE)
Here's her top tip for ensuring a creamy mushroom risotto that rivals the restaurant kind!
Rich and creamy risotto seems like something you can only enjoy at restaurants, however, it’s easy to make at home for less! The secret? Italian chef, cookbook author and host Lidia Bastianich says it’s all in the technique as you want the short grain rice, better known as Arborio rice, to release its starch properly. This produces velvety and tender risotto every time. She especially uses this approach for her mushroom risotto recipe—which gives the Italian staple an earthy twist. It was also beloved by her dear friend and fellow chef Julia Child, and will wow guests if you make it for an upcoming dinner party. Continue reading as Bastianich shares how to make this hearty and flavorful dish right in the comfort of your home!
The basics of risotto
Risotto is a rice dish that originated from northern regions of Italy, and is made by cooking Arborio rice with stock, wine, butter or oil and other ingredients. The rice needs to be cooked gradually in order to absorb all of the stock and become tender. But, it’s worth it for a luscious rice dish that’s perfect to enjoy as a side or a dinner main.
Chef’s top tip for the creamy, restaurant-style risotto
All risotto recipes involve adding a little bit of stock at a time to ensure the risotto thickens. Bastianich notes that temperature matters in this case because pouring cold stock into the heated rice will result in a watery risotto. “It has to be warm [or] hot,” she explains of the stock’s temperature. “And slowly you are coaxing these starches out and you make a creamy risotto, adding a little butter, adding a little cheese, adding whatever flavoring you want.” You can keep the stock warm in a separate saucepan over a gentle heat and ladle it in as directed in the recipe.
How to make Lidia Bastianich’s mushroom risotto recipe
One of Bastianich’s most iconic recipes is her Risotto with Mushrooms (Risotto ai Funghi), which forged a friendship between her and Julia Child in 1971. “Julia came to my restaurant, and she says, ‘Lydia, can you teach me how to make risotto?’” she says. “She came over to my house and we went through the lessons of risotto and then she brought me on her show. We did two episodes, one of them being the risotto. And that’s how I got on public television, ultimately. And we remained friends with Julia until she passed.”
This recipe for mushroom risotto puts a nutty and earthy spin on the Italian dish thanks to the combination of mushrooms and Grana Padano. Buon appetito!
Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients:
- 7 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ cups thinly sliced shallots (about 4 large shallots)
- 1½ cups thinly sliced leeks, white and green parts (about 2 medium leeks)
- 2 cups arborio or other short grain rice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 2 lbs. mixed mushrooms (such as white, cremini, shiitake, oyster or chanterelle), thickly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- ½ cup grated Grana Padano (or Parmigiano Reggiano)
- 4 Tbs. butter, cut in bits
Directions:
- Yield: 6 servings
- In medium saucepan, heat stock to a simmer.
- In large straight sided skillet over medium head, add olive oil. When oil is hot, add the leeks and shallots. Cook and stir, adjusting the heat so they don’t color, until the leeks have wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Add rice and stir to coat in the oil. Toast rice in oil, stirring, until edges of the kernels become translucent, about 2 minutes. Add wine, bring to a simmer and cook until wine is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and add enough hot stock to just cover rice, about 1½ cups.
- Simmer gently, stirring, until almost all liquid is absorbed. After first addition of stock is absorbed, add mushrooms and stir to incorporate.
- Continue adding ladlefuls of stock periodically until rice is creamy but al dente, about 18 minutes from time you added the wine. (Note: You may not use all of the stock.) Stir in parsley.
- Remove skillet from the heat and whisk in the grated cheese. Drop in butter and mix well until rice is creamy and smooth. Season with salt if necessary.
- Serve immediately.
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