Mushroom and Blue Cheese Risotto
This creamy mushroom and blue cheese risotto is Italian comfort food at its best!
Risotto is a rather simple dish to make. It doesn’t require any special skills and comes together in no more than 35 minutes from start to finish.
If you’ve ever been too intimidated to try risotto, don’t be! Here are some tips to help you make it perfect every time:
– Choose the right rice. You can’t make risotto with just any rice; you need a rice that is high in starch like Carnaroli, Arborio, or Vialone Nano.
-Don’t wash the rice. Washing takes off the rice’s starch, and starch is needed to get a creamy texture.
-Have everything ready to go before you begin cooking.
-Sweat the onion in the pan, then add the rice and toast for 2/3 mins, until the edges have turned translucent but the center is still opaque.
-The stock must be warm and added one ladleful at a time.
-Be patient and keep stirring continuously. Risotto is not the kind of preparation that can be left unattended.
-The final and most important step is the “mantecatura”. Take the pan off the heat, add the cold butter and cheese, and stir vigorously.
I used cremini mushrooms but any mushroom will work so just use whatever you prefer. You can use porcini mushrooms for a more robust flavor.
Gorgonzola dolce is my favorite cheese for this risotto. It is milder and softer than the other varieties (Natuale or Piccante) and it melts perfectly.
If you give this mushroom and blue cheese risotto a try, let me know what you think. Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to take a picture and share it on my Facebook page or tag it #aseasyasapplepie on Instagram! I love seeing what you come up with!
How To Make It: Mushroom and Blue Cheese Risotto
Ingredients
For the mushrooms:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 8.8 oz (250 g) cremini mushrooms sliced
- fresh thyme finely chopped
- salt to taste
For the risotto:
- 4 cups (1L) vegetable stock
- 1½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small white onion finely chopped
- 11.3 oz (320 g) rice (Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone nano)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine
- 3.5 oz (100 g) blue cheese diced (I used gorgonzola dolce)
- 1½ tablespoon (20 g) cold butter cubed
- ¼ cup (20 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
- fresh thyme finely chopped
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat to low to keep it warm.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and sautee until fragrant.
- Add the mushrooms and thyme, and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened.
- Season to taste, then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add 1½ tablespoon of oil to the pan, and sautee the onion until soft and translucent.
- Add the rice and toast it, stirring often, for about 2-3 minutes or until the edges have turned translucent but the center is still opaque.
- Pour in the white wine and, when it has been absorbed, add just enough stock to cover the rice and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring continuously and allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes.
- About halfway through, add the mushrooms and mix well.
- When the rice is al dente, remove from heat and stir in ¾ of the gorgonzola, Parmesan cheese, and butter.
- Serve the mushroom and blue cheese risotto topped with the remaining gorgonzola, fresh thyme, and freshly ground black pepper.
