Mushroom & Taleggio Risotto
Photo by Rob Wicks on Unsplash
Porcini stock, mixed mushrooms, Taleggio stirred through at the very end. Earthy, funky, deeply satisfying on a cold evening. The Taleggio melts into something almost recklessly good.
Prep: 15 min · Cook: 35 min · Serves: 4 · Skill: Medium
Ingredients
- 320g Carnaroli rice
- 30g dried porcini mushrooms
- 1L chicken or vegetable stock
- 400g mixed fresh mushrooms (chestnut, shiitake, oyster)
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 100ml dry white wine
- 150g Taleggio, rind removed, cubed
- 40g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- 40g cold butter
- Fresh thyme, olive oil, salt, pepper
Method
- Make the porcini stock. Soak the dried porcini in 300ml of boiling water for 20 minutes. Lift them out, chop finely, and set aside. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve into your stock. This porcini-enriched stock is the backbone of the dish — don’t skip it.
- Sauté the mushrooms. In a separate pan, cook the fresh mushrooms in batches in olive oil over high heat until golden and slightly crispy at the edges. Season well. Don’t crowd them or they’ll steam. Add the garlic and thyme in the last minute. Set aside half for serving, stir the rest into the risotto later.
- Start the risotto. In your risotto pan, soften the shallot in butter over medium-low heat. Add the chopped rehydrated porcini and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice, toast for 2 minutes, then deglaze with wine. Stir until absorbed.
- Cook with stock. Add the hot porcini stock ladle by ladle, stirring continuously for 16–18 minutes. Halfway through, fold in the sautéed mushrooms (save the reserved half for garnish). Taste as you go.
- Finish with Taleggio. Off the heat, add the cold butter and Parmigiano and stir vigorously. Then fold in the Taleggio cubes and let them melt partially — you want streaks of melted cheese through the risotto, not a uniform sauce. Serve immediately, topped with the reserved mushrooms and a crack of black pepper.
On Taleggio: It melts fast and can turn grainy if overworked. Fold it in gently at the very end, off the heat, and serve straight away. Leftovers don’t work well with this one — it’s a dish that demands to be eaten immediately.