Video recipe for Porcini mushroom risotto

We went on holiday to Italy this summer and found some wild Porcini mushrooms whilst out and about. This video recipe shows you how easy it is to whip up a Porcini mushroom risotto. We’ve also included a detailed written recipe as well so you can try it at home…

Porcini mushroom risotto

Serves 6 as a starter

• 2 medium porcini mushrooms, caps cut in chunks and stems finely chopped (if you can get them, if not them I also like chestnut mushrooms or field mushrooms but normal white mushrooms will do, although lack the intensity of flavour.) 50g dried porcini mushrooms (If you are using plain white mushrooms then up this to 75g)
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 300g arborio rice
• 1 pint chicken stock (or vegetable if you are vegetarian), warmed on a very low heat.
• ½ pint boiling water
• 2 handfuls of parmesan cheese
• 1 handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 glass white wine
• 1 table spoon of butter
• Olive oil

Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in boiling water for 15 minutes then sieve, keep the liquid and finely chop the mushrooms.

Fry off the porcini mushrooms (cap and stems) in a little olive oil until they have given out their liquid and begun to brown a little at the edges. Keep warm until later.

Sweat the onions, garlic in half the butter and a splash of olive oil until transparent, but not browned.

Add in the rice, and fry for a minute and then add the rehydrated porcini mushrooms and fry for another minute or so until the onion just starts to show a hint of brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic as this will give the risotto a bitter taste.

Pour in the wine and continue to stir until it is all absorbed.

Then pour in the porcini stock and continue to stir until it is all absorbed.

Continue this process with the chicken stock, adding a ladle full at a time and stirring until the rice is soft but has a little bite to it.

When it is nearly cooked add the fried mushrooms, then remove it from the heat and beat in the remaining butter and the cheese. Season with lots of black pepper and a little salt to taste.

Loosen it with a little more stock just before serving if it stiffens up – it should be able to run off a spoon and not stick like glue!

Serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley as this will help to cut the richness.