Making a perfect creamy buttery risotto requires a few simple rituals. Patience, to start. The well-timed adding of exceptionally well-made stock, ladle by ladle, with slow stirring in between. Think about trying to ease the rice into a natural smooth, creamy texture. Keep the heat low and constant. If you rush it, the rice will be undercooked, as the natural starches will have been locked in by the excess heat. Now that’s the chemistry over.
You must, must try to make this. Once you’ve made your first risotto–especially at home–there are endless flavour combinations, and it is such a luxury to serve at home. I created this recipe with a classic porcini mushroom and pancetta, as both ingredients balance each other beautifully. The Sage and Almond pesto, simply put, is my personal touch to this risotto that brings all these earthy, woody elements together. Open your favorite bottle of wine, play your favorite music and unwind…
Serves 4
- 420gms of good quality Arborio rice
- 100gms of good quality dried porcini mushroom
- 150 gms of portobello mushrooms, halved and sliced finely
- 200 gms of smoked pancetta diced into very tiny cubes
- 1/2 leek cut into very fine pieces
- 5oz of freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tsp of finely chopped garlic
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs of butter
- 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika, dulce (i.e the smoked sweet version, not the bitter picante)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 wineglass glass of dry white wine
- 1 1/2 pints of vegetable stock (a good quality vegetable stock cube in 1 1/2 pints of hot water will do the trick)
- 4 heaped teaspoons of sage and almond pesto
- A few drops of truffle oil per serving
Heat up the stock to a boiling point and take off the heat. Place the porcini mushrooms in the stock and let these infuse for 15 minutes, letting the flavours seep into the stock. Mix in the glass of wine.
In the meantime, heat the butter and olive oil in a wide saucepan
Add the smoked pancetta and fry gently until you can see it crisping slightly on the edges.
Add the garlic and sauté gently on a very low heat until soft and translucent. Take care not to burn any of the ingredients.
Now tip in the rice, stirring in well so all the grains are coated with the butter/ oil mixture. Turn up the heat ever so slightly and let this gently fry for 2 minutes. Add the leek and the spanish paprika.
Strain the porcini mushrooms and reserve the stock. Chop into smaller pieces.
Now start to add the reserved porcini/vegetable stock, just one ladle to start with. Lower the heat and stir it all. Try not to stir constantly but give it all a mix every 2 – 3 minutes. As the stock evaporates, add another ladle of stock, keeping it on a low heat throughout.
The rice should start releasing some starches and becoming creamy. After around 2 ladlefuls refills, add the finely sliced portobello mushrooms and after about 5 ladlefuls of stock, add the finely chopped porcini mushrooms.
Add the black pepper and season with salt carefully as the stock will have already added some saltiness to the dish.
The rice should now be a creamy consistency. Swirl a teaspoon of the Sage and Almond Pesto into the surface , add a delicate swirl of truffle oil and finely grate some Parmesan cheese over the top. Serve piping hot.
1 Comment