Risotto makes a weeknight feel like an occasion – the slow stirring, the gradual transformation into something rich and creamy, and the smell that fills the kitchen while it cooks. This version of mushroom and leek risotto brings together two of the best Autumn ingredients going: sweet, slow-cooked leeks and deeply savoury mushrooms, doubled up with both fresh and dried varieties for maximum depth of flavour. This is autumnal comfort food at it’s earthy best.
Double the mushrooms
The dried porcini or wild mushrooms are doing more work here than you might expect. Soaked in boiling water, they not only add their own concentrated, earthy flavour to the dish, but the soaking liquor gets strained straight into the risotto too. Meaning nothing is wasted, and every spoonful carries that deep mushroom flavour right through the rice. Paired with thickly sliced fresh mushrooms, cooked separately so they keep their texture and juices, you get real contrast in every bite rather than one note of “mushroom” throughout.
It takes a little patience — risotto always does — but but it’s always worth the effort. Finished with a generous amount of parmesan and a scattering of parsley, it’s a proper, comforting dinner that makes the most of what’s in season right now.
Other risotto recipes
Here are some other risotto recipes to try:
- Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto
- Cacio e pepe risotto
- Simple baked risotto with courgette and tomato
- Creamy roasted cherry roasted risotto with basil
- Celeriac and chicken risotto
Dried mushrooms like porcini bring a concentrated, earthy depth of flavour, and their soaking liquid adds even more of that flavour into the risotto itself. Fresh mushrooms, cooked separately, add texture and bite that dried mushrooms alone can’t provide.
Absolutely, simply use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock as indicated. Also, just check the parmesan is vegetarian too.
Arborio rice is recommended and widely available, though other risotto rices like carnaroli will also work well.
Risotto is best made fresh and eaten immediately, as it loses its creamy texture on standing or reheating. If you do need to reheat it, add a splash of stock or water to loosen it back up. If you freeze it, it can become grainy.
Mushroom and Leek Risotto
Equipment
- large casserole dish
Ingredients
- 15 g dried mushrooms porcini or wild
- 50 g butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large leek finely sliced
- 1 celery stalk finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 300 g risotto rice arborio is good
- 175 ml white wine
- 800 ml chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 400 g mushrooms thickly sliced – a variety is good like chestnut and paris
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 50 g parmesan finely grated – 25g for serving
- 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Place the dried mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover well. Set aside for 20 minutes to soak.
- Put your stock in a saucepan and keep warm on the hob.
- In a large non-stick casserole, melt the butter, add the finely sliced leeks and diced celery and cook gently for 8-10 minutes until softened. Add the grated garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes.
- Stir in the rice and coat in the butter and oil. Turn up the heat to medium-high, pour in the wine and bubble until almost reduced to nothing.
- Add the warm stock a ladle at a time, stir the rice until absorbed and repeat. This should take around 25 minutes for the rice to be al dente – cooked, but still with a little bite.
- In the meantime, in a medium saucepan, add 25g butter and add in the remaining clove of grated garlic and 1 tsp of the fresh thyme leaves. Cook for a minute, then add in your thickly sliced mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for around 5 minutes until they have softened, but make sure not to cook out all those lovely juices.
- Strain the liquid from the dried mushrooms into your risotto pan, then finely chop the hydrated dried mushrooms.
- When the risotto is almost done, add in the cooked mushrooms and the finely chopped hydrated mushrooms.
- Stir in 25g of finely grated parmesan, have a final taste and adjust seasoning, then serve alongside the remaining 25g parmesan to sprinkle on top and the parsley if using.