Mushroom Risotto

Bring 6 cups low-sodium broth or water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep at a very low simmer.

Tear 1 pound fresh mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. (If using shiitake mushrooms, remove and discard any woody stems.) Finely chop 1 large shallot. Strip the leaves from 1/2 small bunch thyme sprigs and coarsely chop to get 1 tablespoon. Finely grate 1 ounce Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 packed cup) or measure out 1/3 cup store-bought grated.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, high-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add half the mushrooms in a single layer. Cook undisturbed until browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper and cook, stirring once or twice, until the mushrooms are browned all over and tender, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and repeat cooking the remaining mushrooms with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. About a minute before the mushrooms are ready, add about 3/4 of the thyme (reserve the remaining for garnish) and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to the plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the shallot and sauté until softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups carnaroli rice, and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the edges have turned translucent but the center is still opaque, about 2 minutes. You should also be able to smell the aroma of toasted rice. Add 1/2 cup dry white wine and simmer, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the wine is completely reduced and the pan is almost dry, 1 to 2 minutes.

Begin incrementally adding the warm broth one ladle at a time, stirring often. Wait until the liquid has been almost completely absorbed by the rice before adding another ladle. After about 15 minutes, begin tasting the rice to gauge how far it has cooked.

Continue adding broth until the rice is al dente (still has a bit of chew), the broth is creamy, and the dish has the consistency of thick porridge, 20 to 30 minutes total (you might not use up all of the broth). If you run your spatula through the risotto, the risotto should flow slowly to fill in the space.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the reserved mushrooms, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, and stir until the butter is melted. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with more grated Parmesan and the reserved thyme.