Hey, foodies. I was slacking off Friday and still in vacation catch-up mode, so I didn't get a chance to post. But reader mail returns. We will post letters every Friday. (And, uh, well, sometimes Mondays.) You ask. We answer. Send queries.
Dear Patricia, I would love to have your recipe for risotto with porcini mushrooms. I have a big bag of dried porcini and I am looking for a good reason to open it. Thanks so much & Buon Appetito!
Risotto fans unite! Risotto is one of my favorite comfort foods, but I must say, much like meatloaf, I don't really have a "recipe" for risotto. It's more like a method. I think the most important point to remember when making risotto is to heat the broth (preferably homemade chicken stock) on the stove before you begin. As you ladle hot broth to a the pan of simmering rice, it slowly melts and coaxes the starch from each grain. That's what produces the creamy texture that's essential to the dish's success. (If you read a recipe that calls for adding cream to risotto, you should toss that recipe out.)
Here's a recipe from "The Gourmet Cookbook" which is similar to my risotto method. It feeds 6 as a main course or 8 as a first course:
Risotto with Porcini
1 1/2 cups water
5 1/2 cups chicken stock or store bought low-sodium broth
1 1/4 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups (about 14 ounces) Arborio rice
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces), plue additional for serving
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine water and 1 cup stock in a small saucepan and heat until hot. Put mushrooms and 1 tablespoon oil in a separate bowl and then pour the hot liquid over them. Let soak for 30 minutes. Lift porcini out of soaking liquid, squeeze excess liquid back into the bowl, and rinse well to remove any grit. Coarsely chop porcini. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into a large saucepan. Add the remaining 4 1/2 cups stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover and keep at a bare simmer.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a 4-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the hot stock and cook at a strong simmer, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 18 to 20 minutes. (There will be leftover stock.) Stir in mushrooms, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, salt and pepper. If necessary, thin risotto with some of the remaining stock. Serve immediately with additional cheese.
Dear Patricia, I would love to have your recipe for risotto with porcini mushrooms. I have a big bag of dried porcini and I am looking for a good reason to open it. Thanks so much & Buon Appetito!
Risotto fans unite! Risotto is one of my favorite comfort foods, but I must say, much like meatloaf, I don't really have a "recipe" for risotto. It's more like a method. I think the most important point to remember when making risotto is to heat the broth (preferably homemade chicken stock) on the stove before you begin. As you ladle hot broth to a the pan of simmering rice, it slowly melts and coaxes the starch from each grain. That's what produces the creamy texture that's essential to the dish's success. (If you read a recipe that calls for adding cream to risotto, you should toss that recipe out.)
Here's a recipe from "The Gourmet Cookbook" which is similar to my risotto method. It feeds 6 as a main course or 8 as a first course:
Risotto with Porcini
1 1/2 cups water
5 1/2 cups chicken stock or store bought low-sodium broth
1 1/4 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups (about 14 ounces) Arborio rice
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces), plue additional for serving
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine water and 1 cup stock in a small saucepan and heat until hot. Put mushrooms and 1 tablespoon oil in a separate bowl and then pour the hot liquid over them. Let soak for 30 minutes. Lift porcini out of soaking liquid, squeeze excess liquid back into the bowl, and rinse well to remove any grit. Coarsely chop porcini. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into a large saucepan. Add the remaining 4 1/2 cups stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover and keep at a bare simmer.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a 4-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the hot stock and cook at a strong simmer, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 18 to 20 minutes. (There will be leftover stock.) Stir in mushrooms, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, salt and pepper. If necessary, thin risotto with some of the remaining stock. Serve immediately with additional cheese.
2 comments:
I made this recipe a week ago and it was fabulous! Be sure to give it a try.
Patricia,
Too cool. I've actually posted my own, similar recipe on my blog several years back. I call mine a trumped-up, gourmet Hamburger Helper. I add beef and frozen peas to mine. Yum!
Click here for Beefy Mushroom Risotto by Mike Matthews
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