The sun is starting to hide behind the clouds and autumnal showers are on the way. If you’re out for a refreshing walk in the forest, you might just stumble across some girolle mushrooms to cook up a storm with. And when it comes to choosing your pairing wines, what better than an Italian wine to celebrate a classic recipe from the bel paese.
Serves 4 people
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 250g arborio rice
- 200g girolle mushrooms
- 3 shallots
- 1 glass of dry, white wine
- 4-5 cups of veal stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 25g butter (x2)
- 500ml crème fraiche
- 1 spoonful of olive oil
- Salt, pepper
Method:
Peel the mushrooms by removing the bottom (where it was cut). Take off any damaged parts. Cut the larger mushrooms into four and keep the smaller ones whole. Peel the shallots and chop them very finely.
In a large frying pan, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil until they sweat their water. Add salt and pepper. Pour into a bowl and put to one side.
In the same pan (no need to rinse or wipe!), heat 25 grams of butter until it foams and sweat the chopped shallots. Add the rice, covering it in the butter, until it becomes translucent.
Add the white wine, stirring all the time. Let it reduce until almost dry. Add salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf. Pour in one glass of stock until almost dry.
As soon as the first glass of stock has reduced, add another until this portion is absorbed, too. Repeat this until the rice is cooked, though it should remain a bit al dente. It should have doubled in size.
Add the girolles to the rice to reheat them. Remove from the heat, adding the crème fraîche and another 25g butter. Bind together. Taste for seasoning and alter if necessary. Serve immediately with a dusting of parmesan.
Tips:
Don’t stop stirring; this is the main difficulty with risotto. It is fine to be made in advance, just undercook it slightly and finish at the last minute.
Every kind of rice cooks slightly differently, so it might not be necessary to use all the liquid called for here.
The key to success with this recipe is tasting it regularly! And don’t stop strirring…
Recommended wine pairings:
