Porcini mushrooms risotto with truffle honey

• 10 minutes to prepare • 30 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

Porcini and truffle

As a city quite close to the Alps, we find that our Lumbardy area is highly abundant in Porcini mushrooms – during this season, many people head out to the forests and forage through the undergrowth and bushes to locate a mycelium of the finest and freshest Italian mushrooms.
Harvested by hand, Porcini mushrooms are known to be a premium product that tends to have a higher price tag, especially if you purchase it from outside Italy or when it's out of season.
Pellegrino Artusi, the Italian food writer once said in his book "Every year come September, the price drops and I stock up on porcini." he said this likely due to the very short growing season of the mushroom.

The ingredient itself has a rich, umami taste that is exceptionally versatile, perfect for sauces, stews and a general replacement for meat.
If you are trying to identify mushrooms for foraging, keep in mind that the porcini has a firm white stalk with a broad, brown cap, and sometimes have a yellowish tint underneath.

One of the best recipes that incorporate the porcini is Porcini Risotto! It is a relatively simple recipe that can serve up to 4 people. And because of the upcoming Christmas season, this the perfect dish to warm you up as the temperature gets colder.


Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

1 shallot

20 g Carnaroli rice 
200 g fresh porcini mushrooms
100 g dried porcini mushrooms
1 glass white wine
1 l vegetable broth
50 g grated Parmesan cheese
50 g butter
truffle honey
salt and pepper

1. Wash fresh porcini mushrooms and cut them into thin slices
2. At the same time, place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Gently push on the mushrooms to submerge them into the water and soak for about 20 minutes. Mushrooms are ready to use when they have softened all the way through
3. Braise the chopped shallot with butter until golden, then pour the rice into the pan and let it toast for 1 minute
4. Simmer it with the white wine until it evaporates, then add the fresh porcini mushrooms
5. Cook the rice, adding a spoonful of boiling vegetable broth at a time, as for a normal risotto, (please refer to the cooking time indicated on the rice package)
6. A few moments before the rice is done, remove the dried mushrooms from the water, squeezing them lightly to remove as much water as possible. Taste a mushroom: if you detect any grittiness, place the mushrooms in a strainer and rinse them under the faucet for several seconds, tossing them and making sure all the grit is gone. Finally, stir them in the risotto
7. Add freshly ground pepper and 1 teaspoon of truffle honey. Serve risotto!

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.