AGA Oven Mushroom Risotto
Hands-off luxury from the simmering oven
There was a time when making risotto meant standing at the stove for thirty minutes, adding stock ladle by ladle, stirring continuously, wondering if this particular batch would achieve the elusive "wave" or whether it would turn gluey, as risotto seems almost designed to do in the hands of the inattentive. This was considered romantic by some, meditative by others, and a colossal waste of time by anyone who had other things to accomplish before dinner.
Then someone with an AGA—those magnificent cast-iron ranges that have been heating British kitchens since 1922—discovered that risotto could be made without all that stirring. The simmering oven, which maintains a constant temperature somewhere around 110-120°C, provides exactly the gentle, even heat that risotto requires, and it does so without demanding constant supervision.
The result is not quite the same as stove-top risotto—the grains are perhaps marginally less glossy, the texture slightly different—but it is so close that only the most committed risotto obsessive could tell the difference. For the rest of us, the trade-off is obviously worthwhile: twenty minutes of freedom in exchange for a minor textural nuance. This is the kind of bargain that makes the AGA legendary.
Method
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1
Sauté the aromatics
Melt butter with olive oil on the boiling plate. Add onion, garlic, and pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
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2
Add mushrooms and rice
Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to release their liquid. Stir in the Arborio rice, coating each grain with the fat. Season with salt and pepper.
💡 The rice should sizzle slightly when it hits the pan.
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3
Add liquid
Pour in the hot stock and wine. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil on the boiling plate.
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4
Transfer to simmering oven
Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Set the pan on the floor grid on the floor of the simmering oven. Cook for exactly 20 minutes.
💡 Resist the urge to check—lifting the lid releases precious steam.
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5
Finish and serve
Remove from oven. Stir in parsley, grated Parmigiano, and cream. The risotto should be creamy but with discernible grains. Serve immediately in warmed bowls with additional Parmesan shavings.
💡 Risotto waits for no one—it begins to seize within minutes.
Notes & Tips
Mushroom selection
- • Wild mushrooms—chanterelles, porcini, morels—elevate this from weeknight dinner to dinner party fare. Dried porcini, rehydrated and added with their soaking liquid (strained), add remarkable depth.
The stock matters
- • Hot stock is essential. Cold stock shocks the rice and extends cooking time unpredictably. Homemade is ideal; boxed is acceptable; cubes are not.
Without an AGA
- • Use a Dutch oven in a conventional oven at 120°C (250°F) for 25-30 minutes. The principle is identical: low, even, enclosed heat.
Wine pairing
- • Whatever white wine goes into the risotto should also be in your glass. A Soave or Vernaccia di San Gimignano works beautifully.