Chanterelle Mushroom Parmesan Risotto

While morels seem to get all the glory, my favorite mushroom comes along a bit later in the season. In fact, it's one of the only good things about summer heat. Chanterelles are popping this time of year across most of the South and Midwest and soon will be up north and out west.

Fresh chanterelle mushrooms are the perfect addition to this creamy classic risotto recipe.

Chanterelles are summertime gold, both in color and flavor. They grow across the U.S. and in many other countries as well. Look for them in moist hardwoods and conifer stands. While there are red and even white varieties, most will be striking yellow in color, grow in a funnel shape and exhibit false gills on the underside of their cap. They will always grow directly from the ground and never from wood, either live or decaying. You can find out more about chanterelles here.

For this recipe, we use them in conjunction with short grained arborio rice to make a rich, creamy risotto. It’s perfect as a side dish, but truthfully, it’s so good I often eat it as a full meal.

Gather your ingredients and heat your stock to a simmer before starting the recipe.

Don’t fall for those “quick cooking” risotto imitation packs at the grocery. To get the true flavor and texture of classic risotto, you have to make it from scratch, slowly adding stock and letting it soak into the rice a ladle at a time.

Use short grain, high starch arborio rice for this recipe.

For extra flavor, we first cook the mushrooms with a diced shallot, a bit of minced garlic, some butter, and some fresh herbs. Add white wine and then chicken stock. Finish with real, freshly grated, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Don’t skimp and buy the stuff in the green top bottle. The flavor won’t be the same.

Start by heating the stock to a simmer. Maintain the temperature the entire time. Hot stock soaks into the rice faster, releasing the starch to form a creamy texture.

While the stock heats, in a large skillet, heat the oil. Add diced shallot and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Start by sautéing the diced shallot.

Add 1 tablespoon butter, the garlic, the chanterelle mushrooms, a bay leaf and a sprig or rosemary or a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Cook until the mushrooms have softened and are golden, about 4 more minutes, then season with salt and pepper.

Cook the mushrooms until soft, then remove them from the pan and cover to keep warm.

Remove mixture from the pan and discard the bay leaf and rosemary or thyme. Cover the mushrooms to keep them warm while you make the risotto.

Melt the remaining tablespoon butter in the pan and add the arborio rice, stirring quickly. Cook until the grains are well-coated with butter and smell slightly toasty, about 2 additional minutes. Add the wine and cook until the wine has mostly absorbed.

Toast the rice in butter in the hot skillet, then add the wine.

Slowly start to add the hot stock, a ladle at a time. Stir until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next ladle full. DO NOT walk alway. Much like a roux, the risotto will bun in an instant if you don’t stir continuously.

Add remaining broth about 1 ladle at a time, continuing to allow the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding the next. Stir slowly but continuously and cook until the risotto is al dente and creamy, but not mushy.

Once all the broth has been added, a bit at a time, and is almost fully absorbed, return the mushrooms to the pan.

Return the cooked mushrooms to the pan and stir to evenly incorporate. Add the parmesan cheese and blend until the cheese has melted into a rich, creamy sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley or a sprig of rosemary, if desired.