I’m currently on a risotto mission! I’ve made risotto recipes in the past but I always stuck to the one recipe script. I’ve now gone more free-form and discovered you can add pretty much anything you like to a risotto and successfully make it your own recipe. It’s gonna be ok! In this vegetarian version, I focus on mushrooms and add some zucchini. I sometimes add dried porcini mushrooms for a stronger woodsy flavour.
The three most common risotto rice are Arborio (easiest to find in North America), Vialone Nano, and Carnaroli rice. I typically use Arborio rice, but any of these three types will work well.
Risotto with Mushrooms and Zucchini
A creamy vegetarian risotto with mushrooms and zucchini
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 2 large garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 lemon (finely grated zest + 2 tsps of juice)
- 3 cups fresh mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 medium-sized zucchini (cut into quarter moons)
- 1½ cups risotto rice
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 3¼ cups hot vegetable stock
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (roughly grated)
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Place butter and olive oil in a large sauce pan (with high enough sides to hold the risotto as well later on) on medium-high heat.
- Add onion and fry for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add garlic and thyme, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft and the juice has cooked down. Add zucchini and sauté for another minute.
- Add the rice. Stir and cook for another minute.
- Pour over the wine and let it simmer for a minute before you start adding the stock. Add freshly ground pepper.
- Reduce heat to medium and carry on adding the stock in ladlefuls, stirring often, until the rice is cooked but still a bit crunchy, and all the stock is used up. Add a bit of water if rice is still too hard.
- Add Parmesan and lemon juice, and stir gently. Sprinkle grated lemon zest on top and serve.
