Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto Recipe
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One of our all-time favorite dishes to make at home is risotto! It’s our “fancy dish” we make when we cook for people who we want to impress with our cooking skills. It’s also the easy weeknight dinner we make when we’re feeling a little extra indulgent! Risotto in general is very versatile, as I can toss a wide variety of fresh veggies and herbs in! Have an abundance of peas in the garden, make risotto with peas! Lots of fresh basil, toss it in the risotto! Once you have the basics of how to make risotto, you can experiment and add in what you like!
This last weekend, while hiking, I found a handful of fresh chanterelle mushrooms growing along the trail! Foraging for food is one of my FAVORITE things to do, and I was thrilled to have found these!! Chanterelles are very popular because of their excellent flavor, and are a bit of a delicacy as a pound of fresh chanterelles can cost over $200! They’re also sought after because of their health benefits. Chanterelles are rich in fiber, vitamin D, copper, iron, and antioxidants!
Because of the high price, foraging is the way to go when obtaining chanterelles. There is a poisonous look-alike, so when foraging, research very very very carefully! There is a LOT to say about foraging for these mushrooms and avoiding the look-alike, so I won’t get into that here, and again, I recommended you research very carefully! But I will give you a few foraging tips:
Foraging Tips:
1. When in doubt, take an abundance of pictures of the area where the mushrooms are growing, gather up a handful, and take them home for further research.
2. Download an app like Seek to use while you’re foraging. An app like this is not the best way to identify plants or fungi, and should not be solely relied upon, BUT it’s always a great starting point to jump-start your research!
3. Join a foraging group! Facebook is the best way I know to do this. You may even have one in your area that actually meets in person and goes out to forage! Even if there is not a group that meets, you most likely have a forging group for your region. This is a great way to learn what to look for during each season, and most groups are great places to post photos of your finds, and let more experience foragers guide you in identifying.
Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto
Cook Time: 35 minutes Serving Size: 6
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons of butter
1 shallot
3 garlic cloves
1 - 2 ½ cups of chanterelles (depending on how much you foraged and how much you like mushrooms)
2 ½ cups of rice
½ cup of white wine
8 cups of bone broth
⅓ cup of cooked and diced bacon
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Cook the bacon in a skillet or large pan. Once the bacon is done cooking, set aside and dice once cooled. Drain off the grease, but do not wash the skillet.
2. While the bacon is cooking, finely dice or mince the shallot, garlic, and mushroom.
3. Add butter, shallots, garlic, and mushroom to the skillet or pan and simmer until onions are translucent.
4. Add rice to the skillet and toast for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently. Some of the rice should begin to look a little translucent.
5. Add wine to the skillet to deglaze. Continue stirring until the wine is mostly absorbed.
6. Begin adding the broth. Add the broth slowly, using a ladle, and wait to add more until the broth is mostly absorbed. Sir frequently. This should take between 20-25 minutes.
7. While the broth is being incorporated, grate the parmesan cheese, and dice the parsley.
8. Once all the broth has been added and is mostly absorbed, add the grated cheese, bacon, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.
9. Stir until combined, and enjoy!
Notes:
While this recipe is written for the use of chanterelle mushrooms, really most any mushroom could be substituted. Chicken of the Woods, Lions Mane, or just a store-bought button mushroom.
A variety of herbs are always delicious in risotto, but if you don’t have one or want to substitute in a different, herb, please do! The amount and kind of herbs are versatile and optional. I would just stick to Italian style as herbs like dill or paprika may be odd flavors in this dish.
This recipe calls for bone broth, but other broths can be used. Most recipes call for simple chicken stock. I choose to use bone broth because of the extra nutrient density and personally, I think it tastes better! See my post here for how to make your own bone broth!
I love this dish for a lot of reasons! It’s versatile, fairly easy to make, and absolutely delicious! It’s also rather nutrient-dense as it’s cooked with bone broth, fresh mushrooms, and herbs! It’s the perfect side dish and stores great for yummy leftovers. We love to pair risotto with a rotisserie chicken and some kind of veggie, like asparagus.
Want to learn more about ancestral eating? Visit my post here!
Want to find other ways to incorporate bone broth into food? Visit my post here!
