Truffle Mushroom Risotto

harvest // blog issue 9

Garlic & Truffle Mushroom Risotto

There’s nothing more enriching than an oozy risotto cooked low and slow. Start this mushroom story with a risotto biancho (or white risotto) of olive oil, onion, garlic and celery. For a super umami bomb, rehydrate a mixture of dried porcini and maitake mushrooms in 4 cups of hot water for 10 minutes. This resulting mushroom broth will blow any carton vegetable or chicken broth away. Ladle the mushroom broth gradually as the Arborio rice thickens and sweetens. Don’t discard the rehydrated mushrooms, shred them coarsely for a delicious depth and texture. Top the creamy mushroom risotto with an extra crisp assortment of mushrooms pan seared with butter, garlic, shallots and thyme and sea salt for a nutty and gnarly mix of texture. Accent with a drop of truffle oil or a shaving of fresh black truffle (if you have the luxury). This is an earthy, rustic and umami powerhouse! Fancy a dramatic and theatrical twist to your risotto? Thicken the plot by liquifying some of your rehydrated mushrooms, a knob of butter and a hint of truffle oil into a silken smooth mushroom purée, ready to create some seriously tasty tapestry.

🍽 Serves 4 | 🕒 45 min | 🔪 Skill Level: Easy-Moderate

Ingredients

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small white onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 cup Carnaroli or Arborio rice

1 cup dry white vermouth or dry white wine

1 cup dried porcini (or maitake) mushrooms

4 cups water

2 cups fresh assorted mushrooms (Japanese enoki, oyster, chanterelles)

½ cup fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. butter (I love Land O’Lakes)

½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

¼ tsp truffle oil (optional)

Method

Boil 4 cups water and combine with dried mushrooms. Allow to rehydrate for 10-15 minutes.
In a wide soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add and sauté onions, garlic and celery until translucent (be careful not to brown). (Tip: Chop onion and celery to a 1/8 inch dice and sweat on a low and slow heat for 15 minutes to achieve a sweet, smooth, creamy risotto).
Add risotto rice (¼ cup per person) to the sautéing veg and heat through for 1 minute until translucent. You’ve primed the rice for absorbing the broth, now reduce to medium-to-low heat and add vermouth (or wine). Cook, stirring lightly until the wine is almost fully absorbed.
Stir consistently, adding broth a cup or ladle at a time, waiting for the rice to absorb the liquid before repeating with another cup until you develop a nice oozy consistency. If you run out of stock, use boiling water! This should take approximately 25 minutes.
In a separate frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil on a high heat until lightly smoking. Add mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon salt (being careful to not over crowd your frying pan – too much at once will sweat the mushrooms and you won’t achieve the golden crunchy mushroom you’re longing for). Once you’ve achieve some amber edges to your mushrooms, add butter, minced garlic and shallots. Immediately reduce the heat to low and stir vigorously to never allow the garlic and shallots to be idle and burn. Sauté for 30 seconds – 1 minute before adding a small splash of wine to collect the delicious flavor from the surface of the frying pan.
Here you have the optional step of separating a small portion of cooked mushrooms and combining them with rehydrated mushrooms that created your broth, 1 tablespoon butter and a whisker of truffle oil. Blend in a food processor to achieve a smooth glossy purée to paint across the plate, you little creative you!
Remove risotto pot from the heat. Add grated Parmesan and good pinch of pepper and salt if you so desire. Cover with a lid and allow the pot to hang out and sit for two minutes. Finely chop the fresh herbs and stir in just before you’re ready to serve to your hungry guests!

Wine to enjoy with Mushroom Risotto

A dish so rich in earthy, umami depth demands an equally as savory accompaniment. Mushrooms grow in plentiful, abundance in the Northern alpine region of Piedmont in Italy. Another noble fungi native to the region is none other than the famous Piedmont truffle. The soils here amongst the hazelnut, oak trees and Piedmont pine forests are alive with fragrant truffles. An adventurous yet approachable accompaniment for any discerning dinner guest is Nebbiolo from Langhe, a mountainous sub-region nestled in the heart of Piedmont. Contrasting weather and winemaking style throughout the Langhe province sees two very distinct expressions of Nebbiolo grape which compete for notoriety, most notably Barbaresco and Barolo.

For a truly unique and exceptional value Nebbiolo look for Gattinara or Ghemme produced in the northern countryside of Piedmont. Locals here refer to Nebbiolo as “Spanna” and the style is typically described as rustic, yet floral, perfumed and perfect for drinking in its youth.