The Back Yard Lemon Tree

This recipe for porcini risotto comes from an old newspaper clipping from many years ago. I’ve been slowly going through my old recipe binders and rediscovering old favorites from my files. This risotto is very, very good and like many of my rediscovered recipes I don’t quite understand why it fell from favor.

This risotto is made using an absorption method rather than the traditional method of gradually adding the hot stock to the rice over twenty or so minutes of extreme vigilance to get the perfect al dente risotto. This simplified method is less labor intensive and a more foolproof way of getting a creamy, al dente risotto.

Tomato & Porcini Risotto

Serves 4

• 10 g ( .35 oz) packet of porcini mushrooms
• 500ml (2 cups) lukewarm water
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 25g (1 oz) butter
• sea salt
• 1 and 1/4 cups of aborio rice
• 1 cup of tomato pasta sauce, homemade or good quality bought, or tomato passata
• 1 cup of chicken style stock or water
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper

To serve

• 3 tablespoons of shredded parsley or fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan

1. Soak porcini mushrooms in luke warm water for 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms and retain soaking liquid
2. Heat a large heavy based pan and add oil, onion, a good pinch of salt and half the butter. Saute onion over low heat until onion is translucent but not brown.
3. Add rice and stir through for a few minutes until rice is well coated. Increase heat to high, add mushrooms, soaking liquid, tomato passata and stock or water. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove pan from heat. Stir through parmesan and remaining butter. Season with black pepper and salt.
5. Serve sprinkled with parsley and extra parmesan.