WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO
Serves: 4
■ 8½ cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
■ 1 cup unsalted butter, divided — 10 tbsp. for risotto plus 4 tbsp. to roast mushrooms, plus 2 tbsp. to finish
■ 1 rib celery, finely diced
■ ½ red onion, finely diced
■ ½ leek, rinsed and finely diced
■ 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
■ 1½ tsp. kosher salt or to taste
■ 10 oz. wild or cultivated mushrooms, washed if necessary, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
■ 2¼ cups arborio rice
■ 1 tbsp. porcini powder, if available
■ 1½ cups dry white wine
■ 3.5 oz. truffle pecorino, or pecorino romano if not available
■ ¼ bunch parsley, chopped finely
1. Pour stock into a mediumsized pot and warm over medium-low heat as you prepare the rest of the risotto.
2. Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat.
3. Add 10 tbsp. butter and melt halfway, add onions, garlic, celery and salt. This will be the sofrito, the aromatic base for the risotto.
4. Cook over low heat and be patient. You must cook this sofrito until it is very, very soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables must not brown, only soften and bubble away slowly.
5. Meanwhile, place 4 tbsp. butter into a separate large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until butter is melted and foamy.
6. Add mushrooms to the skillet and cook over medium high heat until caramelized but not dehydrated, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a papertowel-lined plate using a slotted spoon to leave excess butter behind. Make sure you're taking a second here and there to stir your sofrito pot.
7. Back to our risotto: Add rice and increase heat slightly. Toast rice, stirring with a wooden spoon until evenly coated with butter. This should take 3 minutes.
8. Once rice is toasted, add the porcini powder, if you are using it, and stir gently. Follow with the wine and continue to stir gently.
9. The mixture will become creamy. Keep stirring gently, ensuring you make contact with every square inch of the bottom of your pot — do not leave unattended. Once the alcohol has cooked off, approximately 5 minutes, add 4 cups of hot stock and the roasted mushrooms. Stir mixture gently and consistently.
10. Keep adding stock as it is absorbed by the rice. Do not leave the pot, and continue stirring almost constantly, adding stock a cup at a time. When you add the final bit of liquid, the mixture must be loose and flow like lava.
11. Remove from heat and finish risotto off the heat with freshly grated truffle pecorino, chopped parsley, butter and salt to taste.
12. Any leftover risotto can be chilled in the fridge overnight and made into arancini the next day.