Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Do The Rice Thing

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (47)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(47)

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Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Arborio rice
5 ounces wild mushrooms, cooked and coarsely chopped, approximately 3/4 cup
7 ounces asparagus, cooked and cut into 1-inch pieces, approximately 1 1/2 cups
2 ounces grated Parmesan, approximately 1/2 cup
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

In an electric kettle or medium saucepan with a lid, combine chicken broth and white wine and heat just to simmering. Keep warm.

In a large 3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the grains are translucent around the edges. Be careful not to allow the grains or the onions to brown.

Reduce the heat to low. Add enough of the wine and chicken stock just to cover the top of the rice. Stir or move the pan often, until the liquid is completely absorbed into rice. Once absorbed, add another amount of liquid just to cover the rice and continue stirring or moving as before. There should be just enough liquid left to repeat 1 more time. It should take approximately 35 to 40 minutes for all of the liquid to be absorbed. After the last addition of liquid has been mostly absorbed, add the mushrooms and asparagus and stir until risotto is creamy and asparagus is heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, lemon zest, and nutmeg. Taste and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

*Cook's Note: If fresh wild mushrooms are not available, reconstituted dried mushrooms can be used instead. Place 2 ounces of dried mushrooms into a bowl and cover with warm water. Allow to sit for about 30 minutes or until all the mushrooms are soft and pliable.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto
David Honolulu, HI 11-12-2009
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Great Introductory Risotto Recipe
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I love risotto. I love the traditional additions and the new wave versions. This recipe is a wonderful introduction on how... to cook risotto. Its all about broth vs rice proportions and the technique of slow additions of broth with attention to stirring. For those worried about time...risotto needs less attention during the early additions and constant attention at the end. I normally make early additions and put the timer on for 2 minutes before checking to stir. But the last two or three additions need more constant stirring and care. Hope this helps those who think they need to constantly stir. Read more
recipe Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto
Megan Raleigh, NC 10-30-2009
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Hoping for More
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

After reading all the reviews I cooked the risotto at a little higher temp than low but it still took twice the cooking time... as the recipe. When it was finally done I was a bit disapointed. It was good but for all the work it wasn't fantastic. We had lots of leftovers because it feeds about 8 people, but warmed over it wasn't very good and we ended up throwing it out. Also, I hadn't realized how expensive risotto is! Now I have half a carton of it left and I'm not sure what to do with it. Read more
recipe Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto
Charles Roanoke, VA 09-16-2009
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LABOR OF LOVE
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This dish is great but you can not rush it. Just plan enough time.It requires attention but you can certainly be preparing... other dishes too.It is a great side and will be on our favorite list. We served with Roasted Chicken.AWESOME.Very simple recipe. Alot of the others seemed more difficult. THANKS ALTONRead more
recipe Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto
chris Livonia, MI 08-30-2009
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Dont listen to reviewers who cant cook.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

For example one gentleman said "Maybe it was the lemon... Maybe it was the wine... but one thing is for sure, after... working this recipe for an hour, it smelled and tasted like VOMIT. It gave a burning sensation in the back of the throat and smelled like a nice pile of puke." The problem here wasnt the recipe its the fact that this gentleman cant cook to save his life. You should probably just stick to mac and cheese and stop trying to cook if you cant handle this simple recipe. Dont let reviews like the one i pointed out discourage you. It is easy to make (though you should probably count on it taking a little over an hour) and tastes great. Though for the less sophisticated pallets it may be a good idea to skip the lemon. Or maybe just add it to a small bit of the risotto so you can decide for yourself. Read more
recipe Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto
Lance Columbus, IN 03-21-2009
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Keep Heat Just Under a Bare Simmer
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Some people have complained about the time being off for this recipe - I agree, but I found out that as long as "Low" means... "Just under a bare simmer" you should be OK. Add liquid like the recipe says to and then find the heat setting where just a couple small bubble break the surface, and then back the heat off a tad. That's the heat setting that gets it done in 45 minutes or so. If you just put your stove on its' lowest setting you're probably in for a two-hour ordeal (Like I had one day when company came over) and you'll run out of liquid. The recipe TASTES great, they just weren't that clear about the method.Read more
recipe Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto
Tim Kennewick, WA 01-27-2009
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CROWD PLEASER!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Flavor was AMAZING. After reading the reviews I was a LITTLE "concerned" about the lemon zest and nutmeg so I only added a... SMALL amount of the nutmeg but after tasting it the nutmeg PROBABLY would have been just fine. The only thing I would be upset about is the time involved. I had NEVER made Risotto before but after watching the cooking channel as long as I have, I KNEW it would take a long time. We "pre-prepared" the recipe for about an hour and a half BEFORE going to our dinner party, where it took at least another 45 min-hour before it was ready. Not sure if I could have added more heat or not, but it wasn't a big deal, I had planned for it! Bottom line, FABULOUS dish and will make again and again....and even the kids liked it!...ALTON ROCKS!Read more