Risotto Porcini Mushrooms (Artusi Recipe N°76)

Risotto Porcini is one of my favourite tuscan dishes.

Yesterday was a beautiful autumnal monday; those one that I love becouse of the sun mixed with the chestnut flavors on the roads.
I bought some Porcini (The best mushrooms you can find) to the Street Market in Lucca and I decided to cook them immediately.
Clean them with a little brush and then use water and a cotton cloth.
I cooked them in 3 different ways:
– Fried with Mais Flour…just the stems, sliced (exquisite);

– Grilled with Parsley, Garlic and Extra Virgin Tuscan Oil, only the caps, the big ones (a pleasure!) and…
– Risotto! I used caps and stems, just the little ones (delicate and amazing!)
In this case I obviously followed P.Artusi recipe. Here is that, the King of Tuscan Cuisine Risotto Mushrooms Recipe.

Risotto Porcini Mushrooms

Ingredients (3/4 People):


1 Onion

1 Celery Stalk

1 Carrot

1 Garlic Clove

Parsley

Porcini Mushrooms (2 medium size)

Butter

Olive Oil

Parmigiano Cheese

Rice (the best is Carnaroli) 300 gr.

2/3 tablespoon Tomato Sauce

Salt and Pepper

Method:

In this risotto I used those mushrooms which here in Tuscany are called “morecci”. Finely chop a little onion, parsley, celery, carrot and put on the fire with three tablespoons of olive oil, if the rice is 300 grams, that is, for 3 people. When the vegetables begin to brown, stop with tomato sauce and water, season with salt and pepper and let boil in a clove of garlic.You’ll scatter it before passing the mixture. Put the veg. on the fire and add the mushrooms, chopped to the thickness of corn grains. Once cooked them they should be set aside.
About the rice: put it raw in a large pot and stir-fry with a piece of butter, then pull to cook with hot water poured a ladleful at a time; when it’s half cooked, add the Porcini mushrooms and mix alltogether waiting the end of cooking. Taste it before serving with Parmesan cheese. You can cook the rice also with a handful of dried mushrooms instead of fresh ones.

Salva