Mushroom Risotto with Creamed Leeks
I made you a fancy dinner to get through this hump day!
(Cue that commercial with the camels and people screaming at them.)
You guys. I have a problem. I’ve been binge watching Law and Order: SVU for the past 3 days. And by “past 3 days” I mean past 15 years….but especially the past 3 days, haha. It’s always been my go-to show in the middle of the day, because it seems to always be on, but I only recently have seen the newer episode without Stabler (if you don’t watch SVU you’re like, who even are these people? what are you talking about?). And guess what? The show is still so damn addictive.
Point is, I’m watching it right now as I write this, with a bowl of this leftover risotto and a glass of wine, at 4:30 in the afternoon on a weekday, and I have never been more content with life.
This just might be the best risotto I’ve ever made. I’d like to think that’s a lofty statement as Mikey aways says I’m the Queen of Risotto and Cheesecake. He thinks those are the two dishes that I’m the best at making š
This risotto, though? I “mmmm-ed” and “OMG-ed” the entire way through. I believe there are two factors that made this the BEST risotto ever: homemade chicken stock and porcini powder.
What is porcini powder? It’s dried porcini mushrooms that have been ground into a powder. You can make it yourself by grinding dried porcini mushrooms in a spice or coffee grinder, or you can buy it from a specialty food shop.
It’s kind of a magical ingredient because it can pack a ton of mushroom flavor into a dish, when you might not have the best mushrooms available. I used cremini mushrooms in this dish, which don’t have as much flavor as shiitake or lobster, or something, but because of the porcini powder, this dish packs a wallop of delicious mushroom flavor!
If you can’t find any dried porcini or porcini powder, you can skip it, but I would recommend then using a medley of higher quality mushrooms (other than cremini).
While the separate steps of creaming the leeks and posting the mushrooms might seem like too much work, I promise it’s super easy, and adds SO much dimension to the finished dish! When you roast the mushroom and onions, you get so much more flavor and texture out of them. Please don’t skip it!
Last thing! Make sure you use a wine in this that you would drink. There is nothing more satisfying then enjoying this risotto with a glass of the wine that you cooked with!
PrintMushroom Risotto with Creamed Leeks
Yield: 2-4 servings
Ingredients:
for the leeks:
- 1 large leek, sliced in half and thinly sliced, white and light green part only
- 1/3 cup cream
- pinch of kosher salt
for the mushrooms:
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 tbsp white truffle oil (or olive oil)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
for the risotto:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp dried porcini powder (or dried porcini mushrooms ground in a spice grinder)
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a Pinot Gris)
- 3-4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1/4 cup grated parm (I use a blend of ground parmigiano reggiano and pecorino romano)
- 1 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper, to taste (I used a black truffle salt)
- fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
for the leeks:
- Add the leek, cream, and salt to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes until the leeks are tender and the cream is thick. (This can be made a refrigerated 1 day ahead.)
for the mushrooms:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Toss all of the ingredients together and spread out on a sheet pan. Roast for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and tender.
for the risotto:
- Heat the chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan or dutch over over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook for 5 minutes until tender. Add in the porcini powder and garlic, and cook for another couple of minutes. Add in the rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat.
- Add in the wine and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add in the chicken stock, 1/2 cup at time, stirring each time until it is absorbed. After 20-30 minutes, the rice should be tender with a very slight bite. Remove from the heat and stir in the creamed leeks, the roasted mushrooms, the cheese, and 1 tablespoon of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with the parsley.
recipe adapted from here
Okay, could this risotto get any more STUNNING and oh-my-gosh I need a bowl ASAP! Seriously, this is gorgeous, Rachael! This needs to be my dinner tonight. And possibly even breakfast this morning. š
Thank you so much, Sarah!
Ok this looks incredible! I’m definitely going to be on the hunt for mushroom powder now. The whole time I was reading this I just wanted to jump into these pictures!
Thank you, Brittaney! If you can;t find porcini powder, whole dried porcinis are pretty common and you can grind them up!