At a glance

Build the risotto with warm porcini broth, adding it a ladle at a time. Take the pan off the heat when the grains are tender with a little bite and the rice still flows. Add the lemon-parsley finish to each bowl separately.

Brown Butter Mushroom Risotto

Prep 20 min · Cook 40 min · Total 1 hr · Yield 4 main servings

Ingredients & directions

Porcini and cremini risotto with lemon and parsley

Ingredients

Risotto

Lemon-parsley finish

Arborio rice, cremini and porcini mushrooms, shallot, butter, Parmesan, parsley, lemon and olive oil

Use a 12-inch deep skillet or a 4-quart braiser, a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, a ladle, a fine-mesh strainer and a small heatproof bowl. Set out four small cups for the finish. A warmed bowl gives the risotto more time to stay loose at the table.

Directions

  1. Soaked porcini beside a jug of strained mushroom liquid

    Soak the porcini and warm the broth

    Cover the porcini with the boiling water for 15 minutes. Lift out the mushrooms, squeeze them gently over the bowl and chop them. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine strainer lined with a damp paper towel, leaving any grit behind. Combine the strained liquid and vegetable broth in the saucepan and keep at a low simmer.

  2. Sliced cremini searing in a single layer in a dark skillet

    Brown the butter and sear the cremini

    Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Swirl until the foam recedes, the milk solids turn amber and the butter smells nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour it into the heatproof bowl. Return the skillet to medium-high and sear the cremini in two batches, using 1 tablespoon plain oil per batch, for 4 to 5 minutes each. Transfer each batch to a plate as it finishes. Season the browned mushrooms with half the salt and reserve about one-third for the bowls.

  3. Arborio rice absorbing stock with a spoon track through the grains

    Toast the rice and ladle in the broth

    Reduce the skillet to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of the brown butter, the shallots and chopped porcini. Stir 2 to 3 minutes until the shallots soften. Stir in the rice and toast 2 minutes, until the edges look translucent. Add about ½ cup (120 mL) hot broth at a time. Keep a gentle simmer and stir often, adding more when the spoon leaves a path that slowly closes. Start tasting at 18 minutes. Stop at about 18 to 25 minutes, when the grains are tender with a firm center and no chalky crunch. Save a splash of broth if possible. Use hot water by the tablespoon if the broth runs out before the grains are ready.

  4. A spoonful of lemon-parsley dressing over a bowl of risotto and browned mushrooms

    Finish off the heat and dress each bowl

    Take the skillet off the heat. Fold in two-thirds of the cremini, the remaining brown butter, cheese and pepper. Loosen with a splash of broth so the rice spreads when spooned. Taste before adding the rest of the salt. Divide among four bowls and top with the reserved cremini. Mix the parsley, zest and juice and divide among four small cups. Add 1 teaspoon (5 mL) plain finishing oil per cup. For an infused bowl, measure its labeled oil first and top up with plain oil to 1 teaspoon total. Spoon the finish over its identified bowl.

Storage Serve promptly. Cool plain leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within 1 hour at 40°F (4°C) or colder. Use within 24 hours. Reheat only once, stirring in a splash of water, until the risotto reaches 165°F (74°C). Add the finish after reheating.

Serving with THC Use only a labeled oral product for consenting adults of legal age where permitted. Health Canada suggests choosing 2.5 mg THC or less if you are new to edibles. Effects can take up to 4 hours to fully develop. Avoid taking more during that time. Do not drive or operate machinery after using cannabis. Label infused food, keep it apart from plain food, and lock it away from children and pets.

Kitchen notes

Get risotto that settles into the bowl

If the grains are still chalky

Add more hot broth or hot water a few tablespoons at a time. Keep the pan at a steady simmer and taste again after a minute. Pan width and burner heat change how quickly the stock disappears.

If it stands in a mound

Stir in hot broth off the heat until a spoonful spreads on a warm plate. A little extra liquid now helps it stay creamy as it cools.

Make it without cannabis

Use plain extra-virgin olive oil in every cup. The brown butter stays in the rice either way.

Use the product label

Estimate THC in a portion

Use the labeled oil amount in just one bowl’s lemon-parsley finish. Keep the butter and sautéing oil out of the estimate. Use the same unit for the label amount and the amount used.

Enter the label values and the amount you used.

The estimate is for what you add to one serving. Product variation and any finish left on the spoon can change the amount consumed.

THC in one portion = label THC (mg) × amount used ÷ label amount.

For example, a hypothetical label of 10 mg THC per 20 mL and a measured 2 mL give 10 × 2 ÷ 20 = 1 mg THC added. Enter the values from your own product.

Serve it plain if you cannot verify the label or measure the amount in the label’s units.

Recipe and safety references