1 qt chicken (or vegetable) stock, low sodium (or more if needed)
2 sprigs thyme
olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cups diced brown button mushrooms
salt & pepper
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup marsala wine
2 tbsp butter
¼ cup + 2 tbsp grated pecorino romano cheese
Brown Butter Chanterelles & Fried Ciabatta Crumbs
4 tbsp butter
6 chanterelle mushrooms, split in half lengthwise
1 cup “ciabatta crumbs” (see blog post)
salt & pepper
Instructions
In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and sprigs of thyme over low heat. Meanwhile, in a medium pot (I like using my Le Creuset), heat enough oil over medium heat to cover the bottom. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Next add the mushrooms and let sauté until slightly brown and caramelized. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Arborio rice and toast for a minute or two. Deglaze the pan with the Marsala. Begin adding the warm chicken stock to the rice, about ½ a cup at a time. Stir with a wooden spoon until the first amount of stock is completely absorbed into the rice. Then add the next amount. Continue adding and stirring until all of the stock has been absorbed into the rice (discard the thyme). If the risotto is too thick, add more stock until you reach the perfect, silky consistency. It should take at least 30-40 minutes.
To finish the risotto, stir in the butter and pecorino romano cheese. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
Meanwhile, add the butter to a small sauté pan. Heat it over low heat so that it can brown without burning. Once the butter starts to bubble, add the mushrooms split-side down. Baste the mushrooms for a few minutes while the butter continues to brown. Once slightly crisp and tender, remove the mushrooms to a paper towel-lined tray. Season with salt. Immediately add the ciabatta crumbs to the butter. Stir them often as they fry. Once golden, use a slotted spoon to remove them to another paper towel-lined tray. Season with salt.
To Serve
Serve the risotto with the brown butter chanterelles on top and a generous sprinkle of fried ciabatta crumbs. Drizzle any extra brown butter (or brown some more) over the top.
Notes
Since risotto takes a good amount of time to cook, you can use a restaurant trick to prep it the day ahead. Simply par-cook the risotto about 75% of the way so that it still has a bite to it. Spread it out on a sheet tray and cool it down in the refrigerator. Reserve the last bit of stock that you don’t use. The day you want to serve it, pick up the cooking process by heating the risotto and adding more warm stock until you reach your desired consistency.