Porcini Mushroom Risotto

Let’s face it - porcini mushrooms are expensive. It’s not something that finds its way into my grocery list AT ALL. But there are odd days (when the salary account has been credited) that one is inclined to feel generous. So I picked up a teeny tiny bottle of it for half a thousand rupees. When coming up with an idea to use it judiciously – a Porcini Mushroom Risotto was a no brainer. The mushrooms would lend themselves nicely to being slowly rehydrated while cooking the risotto and the flavor and color would permeate the stock. And to be fair, just half a cup of Porcini mushrooms is more than enough to make that risotto praise worthy. 

Cooking risotto is like barbequing something – you have to hang around. The stock has to be poured in ladle by ladle while the rice absorbs the liquid and gets plump. And you need to use your intuition and your tasting spoon to know when it’s ready. Lucky for you, I use a fail-safe risotto recipe that has consistently given me perfectly cooked risotto time and again. If you want a grain that holds its shape, is glossy, creamy and luxurious – you’ve come to the right place. 

Risi e Bisi

All good food is comfort food but some rank higher in the list. And if it’s warm and soft and has ham and cheese in it… the points just go way up! When I first read the recipe, I concluded that I liked the name very much. Sounds just like ‘hot rice’ in Kannada! Risi e Bisi actually means rice and peas in Italian. It’s a classic Venetian risotto dish. Comforting for sure, but also simple to make. My version has sweet corn in addition to the peas, just because I think the sweet flavor complements the salty ham well. I use frozen peas in this dish. They are cheaper and are available year round. They also often have a better flavor than the fresh ones, as they are frozen at source immediately after being picked, which helps retain their sweet taste. I bought a kilo of very expensive risotto rice and am using it judiciously, but feel free to use Idly rice. (Apparently the final result is comparable). Don’t take my word for it… I just heard it from a little birdie. But I would love to hear from you, if the substitution worked in your favour. For a cold winter day – Risi e Bisi!

Risi e Bisi

Cooking time: 50 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1 ½ cups Risotto rice

1.25 litre / 5 cups simmering Chicken stock

6 Tbsp Butter

1 small Onion, finely chopped

150 ml White wine

1 cup frozen Peas

1 cup Sweet Corn kernels

100 gms cooked ham, diced

50 gms Parmesan/ Grano Padano, grated

Salt and freshly ground Black pepper to taste

What to do:

Wash the rice, drain and keep aside. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large heavy pan until foaming. Add the onion and cook gently for about 3 mins, stirring frequently, until softened. Have the hot stock ready in an adjacent pan. Add the rice to the onion mixture. Stir until the grains start to swell, then pour in the wine. Stir until the wine stops sizzling and most of it has been absorbed. Then pour in a little hot stock, with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the corn. Stir continuously on low heat, until all the stock has been absorbed.

Add the remaining stock a ladle at a time, allowing the rice to absorb all the liquid before adding in the next ladle. Add the peas after about 20 mins. Stir to mix well and cook for a further 5-7 mins. The risotto should be nice and creamy and cooked. (Some people like it al dente, I like to be a little more cooked, say 3-4 mins more).

Now, gently stir in the diced ham and the remaining butter. Heat through until the butter has melted. Stir in the grano padano. (Save some to grate on top). Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Transfer the risotto to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.

 

Divine Mushroom Risotto

‘Risotto is an Italian dish of rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. The broth may be meat-based, fish-based, or vegetable-based; many kinds include parmesan cheese, butter, and onion. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy’ – or so says Wiki. But in most of the restaurants in Bangalore it looks and tastes more like Pongal - which is the biggest insult both to the humble pongal and the exquisite risotto! This is the reason that I religiously bypass the risotto in any restaurant menu here. I hadn’t seen anyone who could get the final product creamy but not gluggy and still have some bite to it…. Until I ate at Graze.  Oh… my…. God!! It was like I died and went to heaven! So of course I begged the chef to tell me his secret. Let’s just say I now have the ingredient list! Ahem ahem…There arose the problem – the man was using truffle oil and pea sprouts and Enokitake mushrooms and all the wonderful, if not crazily expensive ingredients to make it taste the way it does!!! So could I replicate it at home? – Yes, but I’d have to lock and stalk my pantry 24/7 to safeguard these items. As this is feasible only in theory I begged him again to give me substitutes. This he gladly obliged, because now he knew, no matter how I try to replicate it at home, I’d have to come back to Graze for the original! (Clever man!) That said, this version is the closest you can get to heaven with your pockets not devoid of cash.

Mushroom Risotto

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1 ½ cup Arborio Rice

300 gms mixed Mushrooms (Button, Oyster)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp Butter

4 Shallots, finely chopped

3 cups Chicken/ Veg Stock (kept hot) + 2 cups extra if required

½ cup grated Parmesan

Salt and Pepper

To Garnish:

1 Tbsp chopped Chives

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar with 2 cloves, ½ inch cinnamon, 4 peppercorns (reduced to 2 Tbsp)

What to do:

Wash the rice and drain. Brown each type of mushroom in batches in 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Remove. In the same pan add 2 Tbsp of Butter and sauté the shallots till soft but not colored. Toss in rice and stir to coat each grain with the butter so that the rice looks shiny. Pour in a ladle of hot stock. Wait for the rice to absorb it. Repeat the process till you have poured in about 3 cups of stock. Check to see if the rice is 80% cooked. (Smash a grain with your finger – there should be resistance but no hard bits). Now toss in the mushrooms and stir to incorporate. Put another ladle of stock if you feel the rice needs more cooking. Continue till you get the consistency of double cream. Take off the flame and add in the 2Tbsp of butter and Parmesan. Stir. Garnish with chopped chives, Dash of olive oil and the reduced balsamic vinegar. Eat up immediately!

P.S. For the Balsamic reduction – Heat the balsamic vinegar with cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns till the liquid reduces by half. Take it off the stove, strain and use as required. You can also do the same with some Port wine.