It was with eager expectation I thumbed through my cookbooks for a risotto recipe that I thought would be molto bene. That first venture produced an inedible, gluey glop. I can't remember where I went wrong, but I lost my desire to serve risotto from scratch. That is, until I discovered the amazing Marcella Hazan and she became another one of my mentors through her excellent cookbooks. I got the technique down and now risotto is something I can whip up on a whim.
Risotto is Italian comfort food. What's so wonderful is its flavors easily match the seasons. You can add a rainbow of different ingredients to the basic recipe, such as tomatoes and basil in summer, pumpkin with Black Forest bacon in autumn, asparagus in the springtime, and dried wild mushrooms in winter. But, there are two essential ingredients in a successful risotto that must remain constant. First, you must use Arborio rice for it is the variety that has the particular starch that produces the creamy texture which binds the rice kernels together. Patience is the second; it is the gradually addition of the cooking liquid, one ladleful at a time, stirring until it is absorbed, then adding the next ladleful, then the next, that allows the starch to slowly transform the risotto into its signature creaminess.
Serve it as an entree or as an accompaniment to a rich stew or osso bucco. It's delicious all times of the culinary year. Herewith, I share with you Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms.
5 cups stock
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 T minced shallots
2 cups Arborio rice
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, then drained and dried
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
Fresh thyme or chopped sage, if desired
Additional grated parmigiano-reggiano
Place the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Soak for 30 minutes; drain, filtering and reserving the soaking liquid. Dry the mushrooms on paper towels, then finely chop.
Heat the stock in a saucepan on the stoveand keep at steady, slow simmer.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter with the olive oil in a heavy sauce pan. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated. Start adding the hot stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, cooking and stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this fashion for about 10 minutes. Then, add the mushroom liquid, continuing to stir and resume adding stock until the rice is smooth and creamy.
Taste for salt and add as needed. Add a few grindings of pepper. Blend in the remaining butter and all of the grated cheese. Stir in herbs, if desired, or sprinkle then on top before serving. Serve with additional grated cheese on the side.
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