Risotto ai Funghi
Porcini
Northern Italian porcini-mushroom risotto
Porcini give slowly stirred risotto an earthy flavor, with butter and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano making the final coating soft and creamy.
Mushroom risotto with grated cheese & herbsPorcini in the rice,
a northern Italian autumn favorite.
Risotto ai funghi porcini combines Italian risotto rice with the deep flavor of porcini mushrooms. Hot stock is added gradually as the grains become tender, and butter and grated cheese finish the dish off the heat. The rice should remain loose, with a slight bite at its center.
It is part of a wider northern Italian risotto tradition, with documented preparations in Lombardy as well as other regions. Fresh porcini are seasonal; dried ones offer a practical alternative. The home recipe uses dried porcini and cultivated mushrooms, with carefully strained soaking water. The photograph shows a more mushroom-heavy serving with a generous cheese topping.
Explore by food: Rice & grains · Vegetables & cheese
Let’s make risotto ai funghi porcini.
Four first-course portions using dried porcini, cultivated mushrooms and prepared vegetable stock. Soaking the dried mushrooms is included in the total.
Four first-course portions from 320 g rice, with dried porcini and cultivated mushrooms.
What you’ll need
- 30 gdried porcini mushrooms
- 400 mlwarm water, for soaking porcini
- 320 gCarnaroli rice
- 250 gcultivated chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 100 gonion, finely chopped
- 1garlic clove, crushed
- 30 mlextra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 100 mldry white wine
- 1 lprepared low-salt vegetable stock
- 30 gcold unsalted butter, cubed
- 50 gParmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
- 1 tbspchopped parsley
- to tastefine salt and black pepper
The 32-minute rest allowance includes 30 minutes soaking and 2 minutes resting the finished rice. Stock heating happens alongside the pan cooking. This recipe starts with prepared vegetable stock and uses no cream.
How to make it
- 01
Soak and strain
Cover dried porcini with 400 ml warm water for 30 minutes. Lift them out, check for grit and chop. Strain soaking liquid through a fine sieve lined with damp kitchen paper, leaving any sandy sediment behind. Combine strained liquid with vegetable stock and bring to a bare simmer.
- 02
Cook the mushrooms
Heat 15 ml oil in a wide pan and brown cultivated mushrooms for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and soaked porcini for 2 minutes. Remove garlic, season lightly and transfer mushrooms to a bowl.
- 03
Soften onion and toast rice
In the same pan, soften onion in remaining 15 ml oil for 7–8 minutes without browning. Add rice and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and simmer for about 1 minute until mostly evaporated.
- 04
Add hot stock gradually
Add a ladle of hot stock and simmer, stirring often. Keep adding stock as the previous addition is mostly absorbed, maintaining a little liquid around the grains. After 10 minutes stir in mushrooms. Continue for about 8–10 minutes more until rice is tender with a slight bite. You may not need all the liquid.
- 05
Finish off the heat
Remove from heat and stir in butter, cheese, parsley and pepper. Rest for 2 minutes, taste for salt and add a little remaining hot stock so it flows when spooned onto plates. Serve immediately.
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