Risotto ai Funghi Porcini: Earthy, Creamy, and All About Technique

Soak the dried porcini in 250 ml of warm water for 20 minutes. Lift them out, squeeze gently, and chop roughly. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or coffee filter, then add it to the warm vegetable stock.

Trim and slice the fresh cremini mushrooms into 5 mm slices. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the mushrooms until golden, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, warm the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and 30 g of butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add the rehydrated chopped porcini to the soffritto and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat.

Add the rice and toast it in the soffritto, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes until the edges of the grains turn slightly translucent. This seals the starch and keeps the rice from turning mushy.

Pour in the white wine and stir until fully absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add a ladle (about 120 ml) of hot stock and stir steadily until absorbed. Continue adding stock one ladle at a time, always keeping the stock hot — cold stock arrests starch release and makes the rice seize. This process takes 16–18 minutes total. Taste a grain: it should be tender with a slight bite at the centre.

When the rice is al dente, fold in the sautéed fresh mushrooms. Remove the pot from the heat entirely.

Add the remaining 30 g cold butter and all the Parmigiano. Stir vigorously off heat (this is the mantecatura) for 1–2 minutes until the risotto is creamy, glossy, and flows like slow lava when you tilt the pan.

Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately in warmed bowls. Note: a Veneto variation uses red wine in place of white for a deeper, earthier pairing with the mushrooms.