Look no further than Chanterelle Risotto for a vegetarian main dish that is super hearty and comforting.
Whether you forage for mushrooms yourself, or pick them up at the market, this dish is a great way to showcase beautiful chanterelle mushrooms. Marius has taken it upon himself to learn what safe mushrooms look like. Chanterelle can be quite easy to spot, though they do have a couple inedible lookalikes. Always be 100% sure you know what you are doing if you are collecting your own!
Another super great dinner (also vegetarian!) is Lobster Mushroom Pasta. Yes, mushrooms, not the crustacean. You can always roast up a Dutch Oven Chicken to add some meat if you prefer, to either of these dishes. Plus one of my favourite ways to preserve a mushroom harvest is by making Wild Mushroom Seasoning Salt.
Key Ingredients
Mushrooms - I combine simple white button mushrooms with chanterelles, but you could of course use baby cremini if you like.
Root Veggies - Select a winter squash, plus carrots and a bunch of onions for a tasty combination.
Walnuts - I think the texture and taste really is the best topping for this dish.
Wheat Berries - This is not a traditional risotto made with arborio rice - we are using whole wheat berries as our grain.
How to Make Chanterelle Wheat Berry Risotto
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Soak wheat berries for at least 12 hours before beginning.
Step 2: Finely dice onions and sauté with garlic and mushrooms.
Step 3: Add drained berries to the onion mixture.
Step 4: Add water or broth and simmer until cooked through.
Step 5: Caramelize the chanterelle separately.
Step 6: Roast veggies in the oven. Combine with the mushrooms to top each serving of risotto.
Tips and Tricks
- Roast the veggies covered first, so they are completely soft throughout without burning.
- Use fresh mushrooms here, not dried, as they are our star ingredient.
- Use all olive oil instead of butter, plus vegetable broth, to make this dish vegan.
FAQs
Keep in mind this is NOT your traditional risotto made with rice. Instead, we are using wheat berries which will of course contain gluten. You may cook with any sort of broth you like, but remember that using chicken broth will make this not vegetarian or vegan-friendly.
You may use hard or soft - but my cooking times here are based on hard berries. Soft ones might take far less time, which is no trouble, but you want to be aware so you don't turn to complete mush. They could take as little as 30 minutes.
I haven't tested this with rice. Traditional risotto is made with arborio rice and is slowly simmered in a bunch of broth. The stirring is what pulls the starch from the rice to make a creamy dish even without cheese. So you can absolutely give it a try if you want, and I'd love to hear in the comments if you do!
Yes! Winter squash you can go right ahead and enjoy the rind. It has so much fibre in it. Some people do find it a bit tough, but we are roasting the heck out of it so it should be quite soft. Especially acorn squash you will enjoy, and pumpkin and kabocha too. Butternut I would say has the toughest skin, but you an always peel off parts of it in stripes if you like, or completely.
Photos by Dante from Shire by the Sea
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Chanterelle Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms 500 grams
- ½ pound button mushrooms 250 grams
- 1 cup wheat berries with water to soak
- 1 acorn squash alternatively, a small kabocha, butternut squash, or sugar pumpkin
- 1 pound small carrots
- 4 medium-sized onions
- 4 - 5 cloves garlic
- 32 oz water or broth for more flavour
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- ½ cup olive oil or butter divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley sprigs to garnish
- 1 cup raisins optional
- Red wine optional
Instructions
- The night before you want to cook risotto, soak wheat berries in a bowl with water at least 1 inch higher than berries for at least 12 hours. Make sure to add water if necessary in that time keeping grains covered. When ready to cook, rinse and drain.
- Add peeled onions to a food processor or finely mince with a knife. We are looking for very fine chop, almost a paste.
- Cut cleaned button mushrooms in half. Peel garlic and chop.
- Cut squash, scrape seeds out with a spoon, and slice with skin on into wedges.
- Clean carrots and cut off tops and tips. Set aside some greens if fresh for garnish or use parsley.
- Crush or chop walnuts and set aside.
- In large pot over medium heat, brown the garlic in ¼ cup olive oil or butter. Add the onions and button mushrooms until thoroughly caramelized.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add a splash of red wine and raisins at this point if you are choosing this option, and simmer until reduced down but still wet.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Add the drained wheat berries and fresh water (or broth) and cover and cook for an hour. Check and cook for another half hour uncovered until wheat berries are cooked and liquid is absorbed. Season if necessary with salt and pepper.
- While risotto simmers, add squash wedges and carrots, seasoned with salt and pepper, to a roasting sheet. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until well roasted, about 15-20 minutes. Keep warm.
- During risotto and veggies cooking, slice chanterelles lengthways in nice slivers. Set aside.
- Heat ¼ cup oil or butter in frying pan on medium heat and fry chanterelles. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until richly browned.
- Dish the risotto onto plates and top with roasted vegetables and chanterelles, garnish with a bit of carrot greens (or parsley) and crushed walnuts.
Notes
- All winter squash skin is edible, especially when well roasted. Butternut would have the toughest skin so you can peel it if you prefer. You can also easily remove skin from roasted wedges when serving to children.
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