This dish brings together several of my favorite things. Mushrooms and cheese are kind of a given, but chestnuts hold a warm place in my heart. I adore them. They’re meat is buttery and sweet, kind of like a sweet potato but chewier without actually being chewy themselves. My grandmother would always stop at the first street vendor we came to when in NYC. Fresh roasted chestnuts were sold in small paper bags alongside soft warm pretzels and they were magical. I suspect she was a regular as they always shared a story. I haven’t researched the timeline, but chestnut trees were native to the northeast before they were devastated by a fungal disease called chestnut blight. A chestnut vendors have been a rarity for years.

Back to this risotto. It’s rich and creamy amd worth the little extra effort it requires. Each step is quite simple, but there are a few and you need to pay attention to the timing. You’ll be caramelizing onions, for real. You’ll be roasted chestnuts but may easily substitute vacuum packaged which are usually steamed. Ideally you’ll be cooking this up in two pans. One for the vegetable stock and one deep sauté pan for the balance.

Recipe is adapted from Danilo Cortellini instagram: @DaniloCortellini. https://instagram.com/danilocortellini?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= He’s a brilliant Italian chef who always makes my mouth water.

Please note- I’m getting this recipe quickly (it’s actually more of a how-to) up as so many have requested the details. I’ll be fine tuning it over the next few weeks. If you have any questions while diving in, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Here goes:

Visual clues here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cne3rIxj7Pg/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

*notes

-you may substitute vacuum sealed chestnuts

-you may use store bought vegetable stock if you don’t have homemade handy

-the chestnuts may he browned in butter or one step further with browned butter

-original recipe calls for Grana Padano which is a delicious, buttery Italian hard cheese. It’s actually the best selling PDO cheese. It’s milder than Parmesan and grates beautifully. It’s also less expensive than Parmesan making to ideal with grocery prices being so high right now. You may use Parmesan if it’s what you have on hand or what you prefer.

-carnaroli rice will yield the best risotto. If it’s hard to find, Arborio will get the job done.

-recipe calls for 1 liter of stock (a little over 4 cups). I like to have 5-6 cups simmering alongside so I’ll be sure to have all I may need). Sometimes I cook a little too hot, and having extra at the ready has saved me

-there are many methods online for roasting chestnuts. I score them and soak them for a few hours or overnight. I then roast them at 375f for about 15-20 minutes. You’ll see the shells split where scored and the inner skin begin to break away from the meat. Place hot nuts in a large bowl lined with a damp dish towel. Wrap them and allow them to continue to steam until cool enough to comfortably handle. This will make the inner skin easier to remove. Break outer shell by squeezing with your hand and gently peel away all of the inner skin. You may toast the chestnuts in advance and store in an airtight container for a couple of hours while still warm.

-risotto should be plated and served immediately to capture it finest moment.

Ingredients-

A few Tbs olive oil

320 g/12 oz carnaroli rice

300 g/about 2 cups chestnuts (I like to go with more than this as I always eat several while I cook)

250g/approx 1/2 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced, choose you favorite variety or go with a mixture

1 medium onion, diced

40g/3-4 Tbs unsalted butter divided

1 liter/1 quart plus vegetable stock

80 g/1/3 cup dry white wine

1 shallot thinly sliced

Garlic optional

3 springs of rosemary, one finely chopped

40 g/2-3 oz grated Grana Padano

Flaky sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

Method-

1- place stock in a sauce pan bring to simmer and cover over lowest heat to maintain a gentle simmer without it reducing. Place in a back burner

2- preheat sauté pan over medium heat. With some olive oil and a TBS of butter, gently salt and sauté onion when it sweats , gather it all together just off center in the pan and lower heat. Keeping an eye to avoid burning, give the a nudge and a short stir every few minutes or so For about 45 minutes. onions will slowly develop a beautiful deep caramel color and begin to smell sweet. Remove from pan and set aside.

3- raise heat to medium and add olive oil to pan with sprig of Rosemary and sliced shallot and sauté sliced mushrooms until edges are nice and brown. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan.

4- lower the heat a touch, ad about 2 Tbs butter, you may allow it to brown, add chestnuts and chopped rosemary. Toss to coat and heat through. Set aside

5- with a paper towel, carefully wipe excess oil from pan and toast rice, stir and keep it moving to avoid browning, but you do want it heated through.

6- add wine and when alcohol has cooked off, about a minute or 2, begin to add stock, one ladle at a time, pouring each addition in when the previous has almost absorbed. Keep risotto at a gentle simmer and always covered by some stock. Stir gently with each addition of liquid.

7- when your about at the halfway mark, stir in the caramelized onions and continue adding the increments of stock. When mostly all of stock has been absorbed, stir in prepared mushrooms, most of the grated cheese (reserve some for topping) and a touch of butter. Rice should be al dente, if it’s too much so for your taste add liquid in small additions until desired consistency is achieved while allowing creamy finish to develop.

Plate immediately top with buttery chestnuts and more grated cheese. Garnish with rosemary and serve. Enjoy!