Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy-bottomed pot or 12-inch deep skillet
• •Large skillet for searing mushrooms
• •Small saucepan for warming stock
• •Ladle
• •Wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Rehydrate dried porcini

   Place the dried porcini in a small bowl and cover with one cup of hot water. Let them sit for twenty minutes while you prepare everything else. These will give your risotto a depth that fresh mushrooms alone cannot achieve. When softened, lift them out gently, leaving any grit behind, and chop roughly. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a paper towel. Add this liquid to your warm stock. It is concentrated mushroom essence.

   Never pour the porcini liquid directly. The grit settles at the bottom and will ruin your silky risotto.
2. 2

   Prepare fresh mushrooms

   Clean your fresh mushrooms with a dry brush or damp cloth. Never submerge them in water. They are sponges and will become soggy. Tear or slice them into pieces roughly the same size, about half an inch thick. Variety in shape is fine. It looks honest.

3. 3

   Sear the mushrooms

   Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add one tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. When the butter foams and subsides, add mushrooms in a single layer. Do not crowd the pan. Work in batches if needed. Let them sit undisturbed for two minutes until deeply golden on the bottom. Stir once, cook another two minutes. Season with salt. Transfer to a plate. The high heat and the waiting are what create that caramelized flavor. Stirring too soon steams them.

   If your mushrooms release water instead of browning, your pan was not hot enough. Pour off the liquid, raise the heat, and try again.
4. 4

   Build the base

   In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft and translucent, about three minutes. Add the garlic and the rehydrated porcini. Cook one minute more, until fragrant. The kitchen should smell like the woods.

5. 5

   Toast the rice

   Add the Arborio rice to the pot and stir to coat each grain with fat. Cook for two minutes, stirring frequently, until the edges of the grains become translucent while the centers remain opaque. You are toasting the rice, building a nutty foundation. Listen for a faint crackling sound. That is the rice telling you it is ready.

6. 6

   Add wine

   Pour in the white wine. It will sizzle dramatically. Stir constantly until the wine is fully absorbed, about one minute. The alcohol will cook off, leaving behind acidity and fruit that brightens the finished dish. Use a wine you would drink. The rice deserves it.

7. 7

   Begin the ladling

   Add a ladle of warm stock to the rice, about three-quarters of a cup. Stir gently but continuously until the liquid is almost absorbed and the rice moves like a slow wave when you shake the pan. Add another ladle. Repeat. This takes eighteen to twenty-two minutes, and there is no shortcut. The gradual addition of liquid and the constant stirring release the starch that makes risotto creamy. The rice should always look loose and slightly soupy before you add more stock.

   Keep your stock warm in a separate pot. Adding cold liquid shocks the rice and slows cooking unevenly.
8. 8

   Test for doneness

   After about eighteen minutes, taste a grain. It should be tender but with the faintest resistance at the center, what the Italians call al onda, flowing like a wave. The risotto should spread slowly when spooned onto a plate, not sit in a stiff mound and not run like soup. If it is still too firm, add another half ladle of stock and continue.

9. 9

   Finish with mantecatura

   Remove the pot from heat. Add the remaining two tablespoons of cold butter, cut into pieces, and the grated parmesan. Stir vigorously for thirty seconds. This step, called mantecatura, emulsifies the fat into the starch and creates that glossy, luxurious texture. Fold in most of the seared mushrooms, reserving some for garnish. Add the thyme and half the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Taste. Adjust. The risotto should taste deeply of mushrooms and parmesan, with a whisper of wine acidity.

10. 10

    Serve immediately

    Spoon risotto into warmed shallow bowls. Top with reserved mushrooms, remaining parsley, a shower of parmesan, and a crack of black pepper. Risotto waits for no one. It begins to stiffen the moment it leaves the heat. Call everyone to the table before you plate. This is food meant to be eaten in community, right now.

Chef Tips

• •Visit your farmers market in autumn for wild mushrooms. The farmers who forage know their woods. Ask them what is good this week and let that guide your mix.
• •Homemade mushroom stock transforms this dish. Simmer mushroom stems and scraps with an onion, a few peppercorns, and water for an hour. Strain and use. The depth of flavor cannot be replicated with cubes.
• •Real Parmigiano-Reggiano has its name stamped on the rind. Accept no substitutes. The aged, crystalline cheese melts into the rice and becomes part of its soul.
• •If you find fresh porcini in season, slice them thin, sear quickly in butter, and use as a final garnish. They are worth the splurge.
• •A crisp white wine, like a Vermentino or an unoaked Chardonnay, complements the earthiness. Pour one for the rice, one for yourself.

Advance Preparation

• •Mushroom stock can be made up to five days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for three months.
• •Fresh mushrooms can be cleaned and sliced several hours ahead, stored on a towel-lined tray in the refrigerator.
• •Porcini can be rehydrated and their liquid strained up to one day ahead.
• •Risotto cannot be made ahead. The twenty minutes of stirring happen when your guests are ready to eat. This is the nature of the dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 375g)