Italian Mushroom Risotto, Creamy Without Cream
Risotto uses arborio or carnaroli rice, toasted in butter, then fed hot stock one ladle at a time with constant stirring for eighteen minutes. The creaminess comes from the rice's own starch, not from cream — and the final step of cold butter and parmesan off the heat is called mantecatura.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Calories
- 430
Risotto isn't cooked rice — it's rice agitated in stock until it releases its own starch and makes the cream itself. The constant stirring isn't optional; it is the recipe.
Method
-
1
Fry the mushrooms
Fry the mushrooms in a wide pan over high heat with the garlic and no salt at first, until they brown, release their water and take it back. Set them aside.
⏱ 10 min -
2
The rice base
In the same pan: olive oil and half the butter, soften the onion gently until translucent without colouring, then add the rice and stir for two minutes until the edges go glassy.
⏱ 6 min -
3
The acid
Add half a cup of stock with a squeeze of lemon and stir until completely absorbed.
⏱ 3 min -
4
Stock in stages
Add the hot stock one ladle at a time, never adding the next until the last has been absorbed. Stir constantly for eighteen minutes, until the rice is done but still has a slight bite.
⏱ 20 min -
5
Mantecatura
Take the pan right off the heat, add the remaining cold butter, the parmesan and the mushrooms, and beat vigorously for a minute. The texture should be loose enough to spread across the plate.
⏱ 3 min
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Tips that actually matter
- The stock must always be hot — cold stock stops the cooking and ruins the texture.
- The final butter must be cold and added off the heat; that's what gives the gloss.
- Risotto is served immediately — five minutes later it tightens and loses its texture.
People also ask
Can I use ordinary rice?
The result is completely different. Arborio is high in starch, and that starch is the cream. The nearest widely available substitute is short-grain rice.
My risotto came out stodgy like rice pudding.
Not enough stock, or it all went in at once. Add it in stages and stir throughout.
Can I make it without cheese?
Yes, but increase the butter at the mantecatura stage to make up for the richness and body.
Cook mode
Italian Mushroom Risotto, Creamy Without Cream
-
1
Fry the mushrooms
Fry the mushrooms in a wide pan over high heat with the garlic and no salt at first, until they brown, release their water and take it back. Set them aside.
-
2
The rice base
In the same pan: olive oil and half the butter, soften the onion gently until translucent without colouring, then add the rice and stir for two minutes until the edges go glassy.
-
3
The acid
Add half a cup of stock with a squeeze of lemon and stir until completely absorbed.
-
4
Stock in stages
Add the hot stock one ladle at a time, never adding the next until the last has been absorbed. Stir constantly for eighteen minutes, until the rice is done but still has a slight bite.
-
5
Mantecatura
Take the pan right off the heat, add the remaining cold butter, the parmesan and the mushrooms, and beat vigorously for a minute. The texture should be loose enough to spread across the plate.
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