Risotto with dried porcini mushrooms is a creamy and tasty dish, perfect to be enjoyed in these last spring days: preparing risotto with dried porcini mushrooms is a great solution when fresh mushrooms are out of season. In fact, if you choose quality dried porcini mushrooms, you can still cook a tasty and flavorful risotto, even without fine fresh porcini.
To prepare risotto with dried mushrooms, you have to keep the dried porcini mushrooms soaked at least for 15 minutes; once rinsed, they should be chopped coarsely and added to the risotto after having toasted the rice.
For cooking the risotto with dried porcini I use vegetable broth, but if you prefer you can also use chicken broth. I recommend using only a small amount of butter at the end of cooking, which is mixed by stirring until the risotto becomes very creamy (in Italian this step is called “mantecare il risotto“). I suggest you instead, in this case, not to use Parmesan or other cheese. In fact, they could cover or alter the taste of porcini mushrooms. A bunch of chopped parsley goes well with this dish.
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Ingredients for risotto with dried porcini mushrooms
- Power 491,96 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 75,66 (g) of which sugars 0,85 (g)
- Proteins 10,09 (g)
- Fat 15,49 (g) of which saturated 5,44 (g)of which unsaturated 2,56 (g)
- Fibers 3,35 (g)
- Sodium 213,70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 260 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
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How to prepare risotto with dried porcini mushrooms
Puoi trovare la versione italiana della ricetta qui!
To prepare risotto with dried porcini mushrooms start by soaking the dried mushrooms in warm water. Let them rest in water at least for 15 minutes. Then drain and rinse them carefully, to remove all impurities. Chop them coarsely with a knife.
Peel the onion and finely chop half of it. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the chopped onion. Let it fry lightly on a low heat until it become translucent.
Then add the rice. Toast it for a couple of minutes over high heat, then pour about a cup of hot broth.
Salt it lightly and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the porcini mushrooms.
Continue cooking risotto with dried porcini mushrooms for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly and adding other hot broth when the one previously added is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.
When the rice will be cooked turn off the heat and add the butter in small pieces.
Stir accurately to melt it and mix it with the rice. When the risotto with dried porcini mushrooms will be creamy (it will take a minute – a minute and a half), add the chopped parsley.
Serve the risotto with dried porcini mushrooms immediately.
The video recipe of the risotto with dried porcini mushrooms is available on YouTube. Follow me on my channel!
Tips and variations
The risotto with fresh porcini mushrooms has an inimitable fragrance and flavour, of course. But in lack of the fresh product, dried mushrooms of good quality can be a great alternative. In addition, they are cheaper and they not require a thorough cleaning.
As said before, I don’t like to use parmesan or other cheese paired with porcini mushrooms; however, you can use a tablespoon of it at the end of cooking if you like.
The tip for a perfect risotto first starts from the choice of the rice: the varieties Arborio and Carnaroli are preferable to the others for this kind of dishes.
Translation by Giacomo Meucci
Varied doses for servings