Porcini Mushroom Risotto
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A creamy, flavourful risotto- excellent as a side or a main!
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 3 as a main, 6 as a side
Ingredients
  • 6 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock (for a completely vegetarian dish)
  • ~1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • ½ cup dry white wine (optional, only because I rarely have leftover wine hanging around)
  • ½ cup parmesan, grated (plus extra for garnish)
  • ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil. Add the dried mushrooms, remove from heat and set aside.
  2. In a large pot, cook butter and onions together over medium heat until tender but not browned, roughly 5 minutes.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms from the stock and add to the onions. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add Arborio rice and stir well, cooking for an additional minute. If using wine, add now and cook until almost all evaporated.
  5. Add 1 ladle of your warmed stock to the rice and stir until almost completely absorbed. Add another ladle and stir frequently until that is absorbed- repeat until all your stock is used, adding one ladle at a time and allowing each to be absorbed before adding the next. I stir my risotto gently and frequently. I like to think I'm massaging the starch out of the rice, really amping up that creamy texture risotto is so well known for. This whole process should take about 30-35 minutes.
  6. At this point I would take a little taste and see how the texture is. Some people like their risotto more al dente than others- the grains of Arborio should be soft and creamy but still have a bit of texture. If at this point your rice is still too firm, add a touch of water and stir until that has absorbed.
  7. Once you are happy with the texture of your risotto, remove it from the heat and stir in the chives, salt, pepper and parmesan.
  8. Serve immediately and top with additional chives, parmesan or- if you're feeling really decadent- a small crumble of blue cheese. Yum!
Recipe by Port and Fin at https://portandfin.com/porcini-mushroom-risotto/