Porcini Risotto

On a recent trip to Italy I had the chance to hike in the Alps in a region famous for its wild Porcini Mushrooms. Watching the Swiss and the Italians hunting for these tasty fungi was so interesting and also inspirational. The town we stayed in, Stresa, was right on Lago Maggiore and very close to the mountains. Every day, after our adventures, we would head into town to the local wine merchant, Rosaria Bolla, and tell her about our day trips. After the hike in the Alps she and I got to talking about Porcini mushrooms and how to best use these epicurean delights. Rosaria is a big fan of risotto with Porcini and she prefers Canaroli rice to Aborio. Having never used Canaroli I was thoroughly inspired. After buying the rice and dried Porcinis from the Wine shop Rosaria shared Porcini Risotto recipe with me. It was delicious. Many thanks to Rosaria and her family for being our ad-hoc concierge while visiting Stresa. If you are ever in this beautiful town please stop by and give her my best. The name of the shop is La Cambusa on Via Cavour in Stresa.

This recipe serves 8 people.

- 6 cups dried Porcini mushrooms

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 4 TBSP unsalted butter

- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

- 1/2 cup of white wine

- 2 cups of Canaroli rice

- 5 cups of chicken Broth

- 1/2 cup parsley

- 1 garlic clove

- 1/2 TBSP lemon zest

Heat the chicken broth in a medium sized saute pan and simmer on low heat. Place the dried Porcinis in a large bowl and fill the bowl with warm water until the mushrooms are covered. Let soak for 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms doing your best to squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Set the water aside and then chop the mushrooms. Now saute the onions in the oil and 2 TBSP of butter until translucent. Add the mushrooms and turn the heat very high. After about a minute add the white wine and let it cook down until the pan is almost dry. Turn the heat down to medium, add the water from the mushrooms and let this cook down. Set aside.

Melt two TBSP of butter in a large saute pan and add the rice. Saute the rice on medium heat until it is covered with the butter. Begin adding the chicken broth one ladle at a time, while continually stirring the rice and cook (keep adding the broth) until the rice is al dente (has a very slight bite to it). Note that the rice should never become dry. Total cooking time should take about 20-30 minutes. Set the risotto aside and let sit, covered, for 2 minutes.

Chop the parsley, garlic and zest together -- this is called a gremolata -- and set aside. Arrange the risotto on a large platter with a well in the center. Place the cooked Porcinis in the well and top with the gremolata. You can also add some freshly grated Parmiagano Reggiano. Serve and ENJOY!