Porcini Mushroom Risotto for Two
Risotto is one of the best comfort foods out there. Most people love it and yet many haven’t tried making it at home. It may sound intimidating and time-consuming, but it is surprisingly easy to make.
Homemade risotto is pretty straightforward, involves relatively few ingredients, and can be made in countless variations. Don’t have any shallots? Grab a regular yellow onion. Can’t afford expensive dried wild mushrooms? Use fresh. No Arborio rice? Try it with farro or quinoa.
Traditional homemade risotto does involve standing over the stove and some intuition, but the end result is so, so worth it. This mushroom risotto is scaled down for two and gets its punch from dried porcini mushrooms, which lends this dish so much flavor.
True comfort food in a bowl.
Porcini Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms
- 3 cups (720 mL) chicken stock or vegetable
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion very finely diced
- 1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
- freshly ground black pepper
- kosher salt
- ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl and add 2 cups of boiling water until just covered. Let the mushrooms hydrate fully for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms with sieve, making sure to keep and set aside the mushroom liquid for later.
- Finely chop the hydrated mushrooms. Set aside. Place chicken broth and 1 cup of reserved mushroom broth in a separate saucepan. Bring to a low simmer.
- Place a heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil, and sauté finely diced onions, stirring constantly, until they become very soft and translucent.
- With the heat over medium, add the Arborio rice and stir the mixture together. Toast the rice for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add a ladleful (roughly ½ cup (120mL)) of simmering stock, stirring constantly until the stock has been absorbed and the rice kernels appear almost dry. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent the liquid from evaporating too quickly.
- Continue to add broth (using the same method) until the rice is al dente, soft on outside with a slight chewy interior. Stir in the chopped porcini, grated cheese, the remaining butter, and stir together. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately .
8 Comments on “Porcini Mushroom Risotto for Two”
Made this tonight. My husband loved it! Thank you.
I made risotto for the first time like 18 months ago and I distinctly remember being so disappointed…that I hadn’t discovered it sooner! Absolutely amazing stuff.
Try cooking it a little longer. I stir/add stock for at least an hour, then add a splash of half ‘n’ half and a little pat of butter to finish. Amazing. It’s awesome with grilled portobellos too.
And now I’m going to have to go make some!!
Hehe, you have to make it! It is delicious 🙂
xo Laura
I’ve never had risotto in my life – this post made me realize that I’m missing out lol
I told you so! Haha, just kidding. Authentic Asian dishes intimidate me too, I’m not sure if I’ll ever attempt sushi, because I know it would be a disaster. Good for you! 🙂
You know, now that I think about it, I’ve never made risotto! It does somehow hold the reputation of being difficult to make. Any Asian-inspired dish intimidates me. I made homemade sushi once and it wasn’t pretty.
It really is! I need to remember to make it on a more regular basis. Thanks for visiting Chrissy!
I’ve only made risotto once or twice, which is a shame. It’s so creamy and delicious!