Preparation
First you need to cook the mushroom broth. I washed the dried porcini mushrooms thoroughly to get rid of the sand. Then she poured it over with cold water and left for 4 hours to swell. During this time, they will partially absorb the liquid and color it dark. If you have whole mushrooms, then cut them into small pieces, I already had a ready-made slicing.
I washed the champignons and cleaned them of dirt, cut them slightly. I cut the legs as small as possible, and the caps larger (by 4-6 parts), so that the mushrooms are clearly present in the risotto, and not dissolve in it.
In a saucepan (or in a saucepan with a thick bottom), heated about 1 tablespoon of butter. And she fried the mushrooms on it, stirring with a spatula, over high heat, for 5-7 minutes - during heat treatment, the mushrooms will start up their own juice and settle, reveal their aroma, which will subsequently absorb the broth. Remember to add salt and pepper to taste as you fry.
As soon as all the liquid has evaporated from the champignons and they begin to brown, you need to send porcini mushrooms to them - be sure, together with the water in which they are soaked, there is all the aroma in it! Note that a small amount of sand may remain at the bottom of the bowl, so drain carefully. So that there was enough broth, I added about 1 liter of water to the stewpan and salted it. Let the mushrooms simmer over low heat for 30 minutes from the moment of boiling
The result is an excellent mushroom broth, rich in color and very aromatic. We leave it on the stove so that it constantly warms up
Let the mushrooms simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes from the moment of boiling. The result is an excellent mushroom broth, rich in color and very aromatic. We leave it on the stove so that it constantly warms up
So that there was enough broth, I added about 1 liter of water to the stewpan and salted it. Let the mushrooms simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes from the moment of boiling. The result is an excellent mushroom broth, rich in color and very aromatic. We leave it on the stove so that it constantly warms up.
Now you can start directly preparing risotto. In a frying pan, I warmed up a spoonful of butter and poured in the same amount of vegetable. I fried finely chopped onion on it (if you wish, you can also add a finely chopped clove of garlic). Do not fry too much, the onion should only become transparent and soft, but never golden!
Then I poured dry rice into the pan without rinsing it. I fried it until it completely absorbed all the oil, stirring constantly until a slightly nutty aroma appears. Don't let the rice turn brown!
And then she poured in dry white wine. I continued to cook over high heat until the alcohol completely evaporated (only a pleasant aroma and sourness should remain from the wine)
It is very important that all the wine evaporates, otherwise the risotto will taste bitter
Gradually, in several passes, I added broth (along with mushrooms) in small portions - about 1 ladle each. Remember that the liquid should not completely cover the rice. The next rate of hot broth can only be added after the previous one has been absorbed and the rice is almost dry. And stir constantly, you cannot leave the stove, otherwise it will burn.
The rice will gradually soak in the mushroom broth, swell and noticeably increase in volume, turn into a darker color. As soon as the rice begins to acquire a creamy consistency, it means that it has begun to release its natural starch. The whole process takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on the type and quality of the rice. Try it - the rice should be soft on the outside and remain a little hard on the inside (but not hard).They should swell strongly, separate from each other, float in creamy juice, but at the same time not boil and not fall apart into a porridge.
1-2 minutes before cooking, I added finely chopped parsley and a little grated cheese (Parmesan, hard or semi-hard cheese is suitable), a little more oil, stirred vigorously and removed from the heat.
Serve the mushroom risotto warm, immediately after cooking, otherwise the risotto will become too starchy. A properly prepared risotto is soft and creamy. Bon Appetit!
