Italy · Main · Medium
Mushroom risotto
Carnaroli with porcini and chestnut mushrooms, beaten creamy with butter and parmigiano
Carnaroli rice cooked in stock flavoured with porcini soaking liquid, with seared chestnut mushrooms folded in and finished off the heat with cold butter and parmigiano. Searing the mushrooms separately keeps them browned and meaty, and the mantecatura makes the risotto creamy without any cream.
- Energy
- 600 kcalper serving
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 2 min
- Protein
- 16 g
How was it?
Equipment
- Wide heavy-based pan or sauté pan (26–28 cm)
- Frying pan (28 cm) for the mushrooms
- Saucepan for the stock
- Ladle
- Wooden spoon or risotto spoon
- Small bowl and a fine sieve or coffee filter for the porcini
Before you start
- Wipe the chestnut mushrooms with damp kitchen paper rather than washing them, then slice them.
- Chop the onion very finely, about 3 mm, so it melts into the rice.
- Cube the 40 g of butter for the mantecatura and keep it in the fridge until the end.
- Grate the parmigiano and chop the parsley.
- Measure the wine and keep it next to the stove.
Method
-
Soak the porcini
20 g dried porcini300 ml hot waterCover the dried porcini with the hot water and leave for 20 minutes. Lift them out, squeeze gently over the bowl and chop roughly; strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve lined with kitchen paper.
Done when The porcini are soft and pliable, the liquid is dark amber and smells deeply of mushroom, and any grit stays on the paper.
Tip Do not throw the liquid away. It carries most of the porcini flavour into the risotto.
-
Heat the stock
1.2 l vegetable stock300 ml hot waterPour the stock and the strained porcini liquid into the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn the heat to low and keep it just below a simmer for the whole cooking time.
Done when Steam rises steadily and a few small bubbles break at the edge of the pan, but it does not boil.
Tip Cold stock stops the rice cooking each time you add it and makes the grains cook unevenly.
-
Sear the mushrooms
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil60 g unsalted butter400 g chestnut mushrooms1 clove garlic20 g dried porcinito taste fine saltHeat half of the olive oil and the 20 g of butter in the frying pan over high heat. Add the chestnut mushrooms and garlic in one layer and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring only every 2 minutes. Add the chopped porcini and a pinch of salt for the last minute, then discard the garlic and set the mushrooms aside.
Done when The mushrooms are deep golden on the cut sides, the pan is dry and sizzling, and they smell nutty rather than watery.
Tip Salt only at the end and do not crowd the pan. Salted or crowded mushrooms release their water and stew instead of browning.
-
Sweat the onion
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil100 g onionHeat the rest of the olive oil in the wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring often.
Done when The onion is translucent and soft, sweet-smelling, with no browning at the edges.
-
Toast the rice
320 g carnaroli riceTurn the heat to medium-high, add the rice and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes to coat every grain in the fat. This is the tostatura.
Done when The grains turn translucent at the edges with a small opaque white dot in the centre, feel hot to the touch, and make a faint crackling sound.
-
Deglaze with the wine
120 ml dry white winePour in the wine and stir over medium-high heat for 1–2 minutes, until it has evaporated.
Done when The sharp smell of alcohol is gone and the rice looks almost dry, leaving a trail on the base of the pan when you stir.
-
Add the stock gradually
1.2 l vegetable stockTurn the heat to medium. Add 2 ladles of hot stock and stir often; when the rice has absorbed most of it, add another ladle. Continue for 10 minutes.
Done when The risotto bubbles gently all over, the liquid turns cloudy and starchy, and the rice is still firm and chalky in the centre.
Tip Stir every 20–30 seconds, not non-stop. Regular stirring releases starch; constant stirring cools the rice and makes it gluey.
-
Add the mushrooms and finish cooking
400 g chestnut mushrooms20 g dried porcini1.2 l vegetable stockto taste fine saltStir in the seared mushrooms and porcini. Keep adding stock a ladle at a time over medium heat for 6–8 minutes more, tasting from the sixth minute and adjusting the salt.
Done when The grains are tender with a slight bite at the centre, and the risotto is loose: it spreads slowly when you shake the pan.
Tip Stop when it is slightly looser than you want. The butter and cheese will thicken it.
-
Mantecatura
60 g unsalted butter60 g parmigiano reggianoto taste black pepperTake the pan off the heat and wait 30 seconds. Add the cold butter cubes and 50 g of the parmigiano and beat vigorously with the spoon for about 1 minute, shaking the pan back and forth. Season with pepper.
Done when The risotto turns glossy, creamy and pale, and flows in a slow wave (all'onda) when you tilt the pan.
Tip Cold butter is essential. It emulsifies with the starch instead of melting into a greasy film.
-
Rest and serve
10 g flat-leaf parsley60 g parmigiano reggianoCover the pan and let it rest off the heat for 2 minutes. Spoon onto warm flat plates and tap the base of each plate so the risotto spreads, then scatter over the parsley and the remaining parmigiano.
Done when The risotto spreads into an even layer on the plate without leaving a pool of liquid at the edge.
Common mistakes
The risotto is gluey and stiff.
Fix It was overcooked or too little stock was added at the end. Stop cooking while the grains still have a bite and the texture is loose, and add a final ladle of stock before the mantecatura if needed.
The mushrooms are grey and slimy.
Fix They were crowded, salted early or cooked over too low heat. Sear them separately in a hot frying pan in one layer and salt only at the end.
The rice is chalky in the middle but mushy outside.
Fix The stock was cold or added all at once. Keep it hot and add it a ladle or two at a time.
The finished risotto is greasy.
Fix The butter was soft or the pan was still on the heat. Take the pan off the heat, use butter straight from the fridge and beat it in hard.
Serving
Serve immediately on warm flat plates: risotto keeps thickening as it sits. Eat it from the edge inwards with a fork. A green salad dressed with lemon goes well after it.
Storage and reheating
Best eaten straight away. Cool leftovers within 1 hour and keep covered in the fridge for up to 1 day. Reheat in a pan over medium heat with a splash of stock or water, stirring, until steaming hot throughout, or shape cold leftovers into patties and fry them.
Make ahead
The mushrooms can be seared up to 1 day ahead and kept in the fridge. The porcini can be soaked and the stock prepared a few hours ahead. The risotto itself should be cooked just before serving.
Variations
Fresh porcini
In season, replace both the dried porcini and the chestnut mushrooms with 500 g of fresh porcini, sliced and seared in the same way. Use plain stock.
Strictly vegetarian
Use a hard cheese made with microbial or vegetable rennet instead of parmigiano reggiano, which is always made with animal rennet. Check that the stock is vegetable stock.
Vegan
Replace the butter with olive oil for searing and with 3 tablespoons of cold extra virgin olive oil beaten in at the end, and replace the cheese with 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. The texture is less creamy but still glossy.
