Risotto With Turkey, Mushrooms and Peas

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Rating: 4(162)
Notes: Read community notes

Turkey makes an unexpected but welcome addition to this traditional risotto.

Featured in: Turkey: Not Just for Thanksgiving

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves four to six

1ounce dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup)
5cups well-seasoned chicken or vegetable stock
2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½cup minced onion
1½cups arborio rice
1 to 2garlic cloves to taste, minced
Salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
½cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
1½cups diced turkey
1cup thawed frozen peas or cooked fresh peas
2tablespoons minced chives
¼ to ½cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1 to 2 ounces)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Place the mushrooms in a large Pyrex measuring cup, and pour in 2 cups boiling water. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Line a strainer with cheesecloth, place it over a bowl and strain the mushrooms. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer then rinse several times to rid them of sand. Set aside. Combine the mushroom soaking liquid with the stock in a saucepan.
Step 2
Bring the stock to a simmer over low heat, with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that the stock is well seasoned.
Step 3
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet or a wide, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until the onion is just tender, about three minutes. Do not brown.
Step 4
Stir in the rice, porcinis and garlic. Stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine, and stir until it is no longer visible in the pan. Begin adding the simmering stock a couple of ladlefuls (about ½ cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling neither too slowly nor too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock and stirring when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often. After 15 minutes, stir in the turkey and the peas, and continue to add stock as instructed above. The risotto is done in 20 to 25 minutes, when the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy. Taste now and adjust seasoning.
Step 5
Add another ladleful or two of stock to the rice. Stir in the chives and Parmesan, and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn’t). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.

Tip

Advance preparation:You can begin up to several hours before serving. Proceed with the recipe and cook halfway through Step 3 — that is, for about 15 minutes. The rice should still be hard when you remove it from the heat, and there should not be any liquid in the pan. Spread it in an even layer in the pan and keep it away from the heat until you resume cooking. If the pan is not wide enough for you to spread the rice in a thin layer, transfer it to a sheet pan. Fifteen minutes before serving, bring the remaining stock back to a simmer, and reheat the rice. Resume cooking as instructed.<

Ratings

4 out of 5

162 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Juliet Jones6 years ago

I have been making turkey risotto with left over turkey for the last 40 years, I'd say, and my mother did the same before me. I would like to suggest that you can use fresh mushrooms instead of the dried, you can also add some diced carrots and/or celery, in fact anything that you think "goes" with it.

WEB6 years ago

I'm confused by advance prep "halfway through step 3 - that is, for about 15 minutes" and mention of rice which is not involved until step 4 ... so should the instruction for advance prep refer to step 4 rather than 3?

jmee6 years ago

Loved this use of turkey leftovers, including the stock I made after our feast. I followed the recipe as written and wouldn't change a thing.

brooklynladyp6 years ago

Was especially delicious using the leftover turkey stock. Followed previous suggestion of adding diced carrot and celery along with the peas and turkey, and every bite was delicious! (Even pleased my dad who is to say the least, not the most adventurous when it comes to his dinner!)

Brenda5 years ago

I make this for the day after Thanksgiving exactly as written. Excellent.

Enera1 year ago

Used smoked turkey and the broth from it. Added fresh mushrooms as well as the dried & used a mix of dried. Very tasty

David2 years ago

We used one diced chicken breast and sautéed it a bit first, and fresh mushrooms. It came out fine, it seems a bit of an American version of risotto but it was enjoyed by all.

sandy3 years ago

I think this is good, but a bit bland. Next time, I would use more turkey add the carrots and celery and or spinach suggested in other comments and some herbs or spices - thyme or tarragon, more garlic maybe. Shitake mushroom might be a more interesting texture. A good starter recipe that can be expanded.

Harriet Dichter3 years ago

Sometimes this takes a bit more liquid than the recipe suggests. I look forward to making this when we have turkey around, which is a few times a year!

Anne3 years ago

Made this tonight for dinner. I used turkey stock. I used a whole bag of frozen peas, a small bag. It was beautiful on the plate. Great way to use up leftover turkey, but this could also be made with leftover chicken. Good recipe.

Sallie4 years ago

Made this with homemade turkey broth, used fresh mushrooms and spinach. One of the best left over Thanksgiving dinners EVER!