Hearty Mushroom Risotto
Risotto is the kind of dish that slows you down — demanding patience and rewarding it with creamy, comforting perfection. For me, it carries the memory of crisp Canadian autumns spent mushroom picking, baskets filled with chanterelles or morels, the forest floor alive with colour and scent. Across Canada, mushroom foraging has become both tradition and passion, from BC’s golden chanterelles to Quebec’s prized morels. This dish brings that wild bounty into the kitchen, pairing Italian technique with Canadian harvests for a bowl that feels rustic, seasonal, and deeply comforting.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4–6
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
400 g (2 cups) Arborio rice
150 ml (⅔ cup) dry white wine (Canadian Pinot Gris or Chardonnay works beautifully)
1 litre (4 cups) hot chicken or vegetable stock
400 g (14 oz) mixed mushrooms (wild, cremini, chanterelles, or button), sliced
50 g (½ cup) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter (extra for richness)
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Salt & black pepper, to taste
Method
Start the base: Heat olive oil or butter in a wide pan. Add onion and garlic, cooking gently until softened.
Toast the rice: Stir in Arborio and cook 1–2 minutes until lightly toasted.
Add the wine: Pour in white wine and let it absorb completely.
Build the risotto: Add stock one ladle at a time, stirring often and letting each addition absorb before adding more, until rice is creamy but al dente (about 18–20 minutes).
Cook mushrooms: In a separate pan, sauté mushrooms in butter until golden. Stir into risotto in the last few minutes.
Finish & serve: Stir in Parmesan and an extra knob of butter. Season well, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.
Variations
Prairie-style: Use pearl barley instead of Arborio for a rustic, nutty risotto.
Wine twist: Add a splash of Canadian Chardonnay or Riesling for depth and brightness.
Extra indulgence: Fold in a drizzle of truffle oil or wild mushroom stock for richness.
Canada’s vast forests are a forager’s paradise, with wild mushrooms marking the change of seasons. In British Columbia, golden chanterelles and pine mushrooms (matsutake) are highly prized, while Quebec and Ontario forests yield rich morels and porcini in the spring and fall. Across the Prairies, locals hunt for puffballs and shaggy manes, often after autumn rains. Indigenous communities have long gathered mushrooms as part of food traditions, teaching respect for both forest cycles and safe harvesting. Today, mushroom picking has become both a cultural pastime and an economic activity — with BC’s chanterelle and pine mushroom exports valued in the millions. From a family walk in the woods to bustling farmers’ markets, mushrooms connect Canadians to the land in a way that feels both ancient and renewed.
