Risotto, when done right, can be a truly comforting dish. Check out these tips for making the perfect risotto and an indulgent fennel, mushroom and truffle version to boot. Includes vegan and dairy-free suggestions too.
By Martyna Candrick
Tips for Making the Perfect Risotto
1. Consistency: risotto’s consistency should be such that it spreads in the bowl without being soupy. This means that you’ll probably need more liquid that you think. Having said that I like it a little but more dense – adding cheese helps achieve that, but if it becomes too stodgy you’ll need to add extra stock. Think creamy like a good mac and cheese.
2. Liquids: for each cup of rice, you’ll need about 4-5 cups liquid. This should consist of 2-3 cups stock, 1 cup white wine and 1/2 cup milk or cream for a delicious flavour lift. You can use lactose-free milk or goat’s milk if you prefer. The stock should be warm so that the risotto cooks at a fairly steady temperature. Add liquids at the rate of about 1/2 cup at a time and stir through, cooking until mostly absorbed or evaporated. Repeat until the rice is cooked to just al dente and the creamy consistency has been achieved. About 20 minutes all up.
3. Toasting: off the rice in the pan with oil and sautéed onion is an important step to a tasty and texturally-sound risotto. It helps coat the grains in fat to then slowly break down the starches in them. 
Mushroom, Fennel, and Truffle Oil Risotto
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Risotto, when done right, can be a truly comforting dish. Check out the tips for making perfect risotto and a fennel, mushroom and truffle version to boot. In the following risotto recipe, I’ve used both truffle cheese and truffle oil. You can simply use plain pecorino if you are having trouble finding the truffled variety. The flavour will be slightly less intense, but none the less noticeable. Chicken or vegetable stocks are best used here. For a vegan version use fat and milk substitutions listed and microplane a couple of macadamia nuts over the risotto for that “parmesan” look or use nutritional yeast flakes. Be prepared for a lot of stirring, with love.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter (ghee or olive oil)
- 1 small brown onion, peeled and diced finely
- 1 baby fennel, fronds removed and reserved, bulb sliced finely
- 150g finely sliced mushrooms
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- 1 cup arborio (risotto) rice
- 2–3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, at room temperature or kept warm in a small saucepan
- 1 cup white wine (or extra stock if you prefer not to use wine)
- ½ cup fresh cream (goat milk or rice milk)
- To serve:
- 4 tablespoons truffle oil
- freshly grated (truffled or plain) pecorino, to taste *see note for vegan sub
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Add onion and sliced fennel bulb. Season with salt and pepper and stir-fry until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring.
- Add rice to the pan cook for a minute, stirring. Now, working in stages, add ½ cup of stock to the suacepan and stir to deglaze it. Bring the rice and stock to a boil then reduce heat to low. Alternate stock with wine until all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is almost cooked. Add cream and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Add more stock, ½ cup at a time, if the risotto feels heavy and stodgy.
- Transfer risotto into serving bowls and drizzle with truffle oil. Sprinkle with freshly grated pecorino cheese (I like and recommend lots).
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Main
