Chestnut Porcini Risotto

I have been living in the Southern Hemisphere for over 10 years now, but I will never get used to the idea that September, October and November are spring months! Every year, when September comes, I feel like eating autumn food like apples, mushrooms, pumpkin, chestnuts and the likes. I doubt I will ever get used to these reversed seasons. Today’s recipe is all about autumn flavours: Chestnut Porcini Risotto. I love chestnuts. They are very common in Italy and we eat them a lot in autumn (click here for more chestnut recipes). Not only, people usually organise a “castagnata” at least once a year. “Castagnata” is an outing with friends in the forests or mountains to go pick chestnuts to take home and roast. I must admit I miss doing that and showing the girls the chestnuts still in their husks, or breath in the essence and aromas of the wet forest ground. Even though I cannot do that here, I can at least enjoy this Chestnut Porcini Risotto! The porcini mushroom add to the autumn taste and the combination is divine! Don’t skip the rosemary, it adds a touch of freshness to the final dish.  Enjoy!

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Chestnut Porcini Risotto

Chestnut Porcini Risotto - the Italian autumn in a plate, creamy and delicious!

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

Porcini Sauce

• 250 gms – 8.8 oz. porcini mushrooms cleaned and sliced (fresh or frozen)
• 1 clove of garlic chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ glass white wine
• Salt to taste

Risotto

• 20 chestnuts
• 320 gms – 11.3 oz. rice Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone nano
• ½ onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 50 ml – 1.7 oz. white wine
• 1 lt – 33.8 oz. beef or vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
• 30 gms – 2 tbsp butter
• ½ tbsp rosemary
• Salt to taste
• Porcini sauce

Instructions

Porcini Sauce

1. Chop the garlic clove and put it in a non stick frying pan with the extra virgin olive oil and let it fry on a low fire for 1 minute.
2. Add the sliced porcini mushrooms and let them cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the white wine and burn the alcohol off by increasing the flame for a few seconds.
4. Season with salt to taste.
   
5. Put the fire off, and keep it aside.

Risotto

1. Remove the outer involucre and boil them in hot salty water until soft. You can add 1 bay leaf to the water if you like.
2. When ready and still hot (be careful!), peel the skin off the chestnuts, crumble them and keep them aside.
   
3. Now put the stock in a pot and heat it on the fire. The stock has to be hot all the time while you are cooking risotto, so that the rice temperature does not drop when you add the stock to it.
4. Put the finely chopped onion and the 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a pot and let it cook on a slow fire, until the onion becomes soft and transparent.
5. Add the rice, mix well and let it cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until it becomes translucent.
6. Now pour in the white wine and let the alcohol burn off by cooking on a high flame.
7. Then add enough hot stock to cover the rice and turn the fire to medium-low. Keep cooking, occasionally stirring the rice and adding hot stock little by little, until the rice is cooked. It is going to take approximately 18 to 20 minutes depending on the rice you are using.
   
8. minutes before the rice is ready, add the porcini sauce and crumbled chestnuts to it, stir well and keep cooking as above.
9. When the rice is ready, put the fire off and add the rosemary, butter and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Mix very well, until the rice becomes creamy.
   
10. Make sure that your risotto is moist (or, as we say, all’onda – which literally means wavy) and not sticky. You can do that by adding 1 or 2 extra tbsp of hot stock if needed. Check for salt and season to your liking.
11. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Do not wash the rice before cooking it. You want to keep the starch in it, as that is what makes risotto naturally creamy.