Dried porcini risotto is a fantastic risotto recipe featuring gourmet mushrooms in dried form. Dried porcini are soaked in hot water to re-hydrate. That same water is used as the base for the porcini stock used in the risotto. Fold in some chopped hazelnuts and you get a magnificent risotto recipe.
Porcini – also known as penny bun, or boletus edulis in Latin – is a popular type of edible mushroom. It grows largely in Europe, particularly in Eastern Europe. It is a very tasty mushroom that has earned itself quite some respect from chefs all over the world. Among the cuisines where this mushroom holds high appreciation feature both the Italian and the Polish ones.
Finding fresh porcini might be difficult as they are only in season in the fall. This type of mushroom has proved difficult to cultivate, so your best bet to enjoy it out of season is dried. And the good news is that porcini dries great! The flavour concentrates in the de-hydrated mushrooms, a perfect way to preserve their intense aroma. This is why dried porcini risotto is a great mushroom recipe all year round.
The ingredients
Here’s what you’re gonna need to make porcini risotto with hazelnuts. For detailed quantities, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make dried porcini risotto
- Bring a pot of water to the boil, turn off the heat and add the dried porcini. Let rehydrate for 15 minutes, then remove mushroom bits and set aside. Add stock cube (or concentrate) to mushroom-flavoured water, stir to dissolve, then set back on the stove. Keep on low heat throughout the recipe.
- Separate some of the nicer re-hydrated porcini and set aside. Choose larger slices of the caps, or smaller mushrooms that are whole. Chop the rest – I recommend chopping chewier parts like the legs or tougher slices.
- Set a small pan on medium heat and melt about 1 tsp of butter. Add the reserved porcini you had set aside and sauté in butter for a couple of minutes. Stir in a pinch of salt and remove from the heat. Those will be added whole at the end.
- Peel and finely mince the garlic clove. Set a Dutch oven (or heavy-duty skillet) on medium heat and melt one third of the butter. Add the garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the rice and toast stirring constantly until slightly translucent, 2 minutes. Next, pour in the wine, stirring constantly. When evaporated, lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the chopped mushrooms.
- Pour in a couple ladles of mushroom broth adding enough to just cover the rice. Stir and let simmer until absorbed. Repeat and continue working in batches until all of the stock has been added and absorbed into the rice. Taste test for doneness before every addition, as different rice types may require less broth to cook through. You may not need to use all of the broth.
- When the last addition of broth has been added and has almost completely been absorbed by the rice, remove from the heat. Stir in the the rest of the butter and the parmesan. Lastly, add the sautéed porcini and the chopped hazelnuts.
Porcini risotto recipe tips
- If you prefer to avoid the stock cube (or concentrate) and have some good quality vegetable stock at home, you can bring that to a boil and re-hydrate the mushrooms in it. I prefer to go for a simpler version and just use water, as a proper stock might be too flavourful and in this recipe we really want the porcini to shine. If your veggie broth is very rich you could use half broth and half water.
- Always keep a medium-low heat and never feel tempted to increase it to speed up the cooking process. Each addition of broth needs to get absorbed into the rice slowly rather than evaporate too quickly. A lower heat gives the rice enough time to properly absorb the liquid and cook through.
- The stock needs to be added hot. Bring it to a boil and keep it on low heat on another burner as you cook the risotto, to avoid lowering the temperature of the dish at every addition.
More risotto inspiration
Looking for more risotto recipes? Here are some you may want to try next!
- Saffron Risotto alla Milanese
- Sausage and Radicchio Risotto
- Asparagus Pistachio Risotto
- Prosecco Risotto with Parmesan
- Zucchini Cheddar Risotto
- Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto
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Risotto with Dried Porcini Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 300 g risotto rice i.e. Arborio or Carnaroli
- 50 g dried porcini
- 2 tbsp vegetable stock concentrate or stock cube
- 100 ml white wine
- 50 g butter
- 1 garlic clove
- 30 g parmesan grated
- 30 g hazelnuts chopped
- 1 L water
Instructions
- Boil 1 L water and pour over dried porcini. Let mushrooms soak for 15 minutes, then remove re-hydrated mushroom bits and set aside. Add stock concentrate (or cube) to mushroom water and stir to dissolve. Set back on the stove and keep on low heat throughout the recipe.
- Set a Dutch oven on medium heat and melt 1/3 of the butter. Peel and finely mince the garlic. Add garlic to the butter and sauté for about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat if the garlic starts to fry/burn.
- When the butter is fragrant, add the rice and toast stirring constantly until translucent, about 2 minutes. Next, pour in the wine, stirring constantly until it evaporates. Lower the heat to medium-low.
- Pour in a couple ladles mushroom broth adding enough to just cover the rice. Give it a stir and simmer until absorbed. Repeat and continue working in batches until the rice has cooked through, stirring occasionally. Taste test for doneness before every addition, as different rice types have different cooking times. Rice may be ready before all of the broth has been added.
- Separate some of the nicer rehydrated porcini and set aside. Chop the rest and add to the rice. Pour in a couple ladles of mushroom broth adding enough to just cover the rice. Stir and let simmer until absorbed. Repeat and continue working in batches until all of the stock has been added and absorbed into the rice. Taste test for doneness before every addition, as different rice types may require less broth to cook through. You may not need to use all of the broth.
- In the meantime, set a small pan on medium heat and melt about 1 tsp of butter. Add the reserved porcini you had set aside and sauté in butter for a couple of minutes. Stir in a pinch of salt and remove from the heat.
- When the last addition of broth has been added and has almost completely been absorbed by the rice, remove from the heat. Don't wait until it's been fully absorbed but remove it when still slightly soupy. Stir in the the rest of the butter and the parmesan. Lastly, add the sautéed porcini and the chopped hazelnuts.
