Wild mushroom risotto

Wild mushroom recipes used to remind me only of Polish Christmas. But my taste has been corrupted over the years by...different things. Living and eating with an American, on his ground and then on mine, various food at 35,000 feet off any ground, layovers here and there...and my unconditional love for Italy. Risotto ai Funghi Porcini is an Italian classic. Good for any time you want to treat yourself to a meal that tastes like nothing else around.

The recipe calls for fresh mushrooms. But dry mushrooms are widely used in Italian kitchens. I just had to find out how much dry I would  have to substitute for fresh. It turned out, it was the exact amount I had in my pantry. It's worth having them at hand. They don't take up much space but give very much taste. Not like canned peas or tuna fish.

That was a fantastic lunch. A glass of champagne and no dessert necessary. Full taste and satisfaction.

Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: 1 hour

ingredients

• 320 g (1 1/2 cups) Arborio or any short grain rice
• 60 g (4 Tablespoons)butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped finely
• 1.25 l (4-5 cups) chicken stock. Water will do, but add salt (1 1/2 teaspoons) before using.
• 40 g (1 1/2 oz) dry wild mushrooms
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped finely
• 50 g (2 oz) grated Parmesan
• 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
• pepper and salt

instructions

1. Prepare mushrooms. Soak dry mushrooms in hot, slowly simmering broth (same you're going to be using) for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them onto a cutting board. Chop finely with a big knife. In a medium skillet, heat oil. Add garlic and saute on medium heat till just golden, for about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and sauté for 15 minutes, adding salt to taste in the middle of cooking and pepper at the end. If they look dry, you can add some broth. Add parsley. Set it aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, on low heat, melt 30 g (2 Tablespoons) butter. Add chopped onions and cook them on very low heat (2-3 on a scale 1-10) for 12-15 minutes till tender. Don't allow color to change. Add rice. Rise heat to moderate (set on 4). Saute for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth.  Using a wooden spatula, mix the rice. When liquid is absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of broth. The first 5 minutes, the rice will be taking in more broth. Continue adding and mixing for about 20 minutes. Rice should be al dente at this point, almost done.  Add mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes. Take risotto off the heat. Mix in Parmesan and 30 g (2 Tablespoons) butter. Correct seasoning and serve!
3. Reheating risotto is like reheating pasta. Never quite works.