Porcini Mushroom Risotto

Porcini is one of mother nature’s greatest gifts to humanity. This mushroom is rich and meaty which are amazingly versatile to cook with. They are so delicate and can transform into an elegant sauce, yet is punchy enough to accompany a grilled steak and glass of deep red. If you are lucky enough, you can find them fresh in your local market or in a wild forest under a chestnut tree, but more commonly it can be found in dried form from your supermarket. Any Italian delicatessen or food store will surely stock these beauties.

Dried porcini play a very important role in my kitchen. They are blessed with a wonderful aroma and adds depth to your sauce or stew. Dried porcini produces one of the best risotto you could possibly imagine. The unique flavour and scent will light up your kitchen. For Christmas I normally make a red wine and porcini jus for the roast dinner, and words cannot describe how good it is. If you struggle to find porcini, experiment with a variety of other mushrooms. Wild mushrooms, shitake, oysters, chestnut, girolles, chanterelles, or dried Chinese mushrooms all work a treat!

Risotto is a popular Italian delicate rice dish cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. To make good risotto isn’t difficult, but will require your full attention. You can’t just whack it in a pan, crank up the heat, and come back in 20 minutes hoping it is all done. It actually takes a fair bit of TLC, but then again, all food should be given the same treatment. You should use good quality ingredients; Arborio rice and a top vegetable stock to produce a good risotto. Gently stir it under a low to medium heat while you slowly add the ingredients. If you treat your food with love, the results are always overwhelmingly rewarding. Cooking a good risotto is all about this philosophy. 

READY TO COOK?

1. Soak the dried porcini in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, but keep the drained water. Roughly chop up the mushrooms.
2. If you are using fresh mushrooms, tear them with your hands.
3. Heat the stock up in a pan to a simmer.
4. In a large pan, heat up some olive oil to a simmer and fry the garlic, rice, and onion for 2 minutes.
5. Add the white wine and stir until liquid is absorbed.
6. Add a ladle of stock until liquid is absorbed, continue to do so until stock is all used up.
7. Add the mushrooms, mushroom liquid, butter, and half the Parmesan cheese, stir until liquid is absorbed.
8. Cook the rice until it is al dente. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
9. Place on a warm plate and shave some fresh Parmesan on top before serving.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• 25g dried porcini or any good mushrooms you desire
• 200g Arborio rice
• half onion – finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic – finely chopped
• 5 table spoons of white wine (not too cheap, something you would drink)
• 600ml (1 pint) of vegetable stock
• 40g Parmesan cheese – grated
• 3 knobs of butter
• sea salt and pepper

Balsamic beef with lemon broccoli and thyme mushrooms

 

Succulent beef on a bed of healthy vegetables is a dinner to cherish. I love steak but I also need to look out for my waistline and health, so how do we solve this dilemma? Simple. Cut out all the fatty sides and chomp on some tasty veg. Rather than piling chips and potatoes on the side, use a variety of vegetables and extra virgin olive oil. For this recipe, I’ve chosen crunchy broccoli, wild mushrooms and thyme. Broccoli provides sweetness and a crunchy texture while the mushrooms give this dish an earthy character. These vegetables also contain bespoke nutritious values which your body will thank you for. Instead of dishing out mayonnaise or béarnaise sauce, try using some fresh lemon juice and olive oil as a lighter alternative. Accompanying this beautiful bed of wonderfulness is Dijon mustard for the final punch to your taste buds.

READY TO COOK?

1. Season your steaks with olive oil, small splash of balsamic, a pinch sea salt and black pepper.
2. Add 1 table spoon of olive oil to a large frying pan over a medium heat.
3. Add the mushrooms and toss them a couple of times.
4. Add the garlic, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper while the mushrooms are sizzling away.
5. Cook them for about 5 minutes until their liquid has drained away.
6. Add a small knob of butter, thyme, and squeeze half a lemon over the pan. Mix the mushrooms with a spoon and set the pan aside.
7. Fill a medium pot half-way with some water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil then set on a medium heat.
8. Place a griddle pan on a high heat and leave to warm. Once it starts to smoke lightly, place the steaks on and cook to your liking. Time for 3 minutes on each side if you like medium-rare or a little longer if you wish them to be more well done.
9. While the steaks are cooking, pop the broccoli florets into a pot of boiling water and time them for 4 minutes. Try not to over-cook them as you want to achieve a crunchy texture and hold in all the vitamins and flavour.
10. When the steaks are cooked, put them on a separate plate, cover with some foil and allow to rest for 2 minutes.
11. Re-heat the pan with the mushrooms over a low heat.
12. Once the broccoli is cooked, drain the water out. Season with a pinch of sea salt, black pepper and squeeze in half a lemon. Mix the broccoli gently with a spoon.
13. Cut your steaks on a slightly slanted angle into 2cm/1in thick slices.
14. On a large platter, scatter the broccoli around evenly and place the beef randomly on top.
15. Gently spoon the mushrooms on top of the platter, scattering them around everywhere.
16. Garnish the platter with sprigs of thyme.
17. Serve with some good mustard on the side. I prefer quality Dijon or wholegrain mustard as they add real bite to the beef.

INGREDIENTS

• 2x 250g sirloin steaks (any tender cuts of beef like rib-eye or fillet work as well)
• 1 head of broccoli – chop into florets and discard the stem
• 400g of mixed mushrooms – tear them with your hands into even sized pieces. Shitake, wild and oyster mushrooms are my choice, but you can use any mushrooms you like – porcini and chestnut mushrooms work just as well
• 1 clove of garlic – crushed
• 1 lemon
• 1 handful of thyme – picked off the stems
• 1 small knob of butter
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 table spoon of balsamic vinegar
• Dijon or wholegrain mustard

Pappardelle with wild mushrooms

Parsley and freshly shaved parmesan cheese will compliment this earthy dish.

Imagine yourself in an Italian forest, hand picking wild mushrooms amongst the wild life. After your forage, you head back home and it’s time to fill your hungry belly. Pappardelle with wild mushrooms, parmesan, and parsley? Bellissimo!

Pappardelle works extremely well with rich and dense flavours. It is commonly eaten with wild game and rich sauces like ragu. Try to cook the pasta ‘al dente’ which is Italian for ‘cooking it firm’. Your result will be a pasta that’s well cooked on the outside, yet slightly firm on the inside and is achieved by not over cooking. I love pappardelle pasta with wild mushrooms, but if you can’t get your hands on any don’t worry, just use any of your favourite mushies you can get your hands on. I recommend shitake, oyster, porcini or chanterelle mushrooms which can be found in most supermarkets nowadays. If you can get all of them, your dish is going to be magnificent!

READY TO COOK?

1. Fill a large pot half way with water, add a tea-spoon of salt, then bring to the boil.
2. To give the dish a more rustic look, gently tear the mushrooms with your hands rather slicing them up.
3. Add a splash of olive oil to a large sauce pan and place over a high heat.
4. Add the mushrooms and regularly toss or stir them for 3 minutes.
5. Add the garlic, a generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
6. Sauté the mushrooms until their liquid has evaporated.
7. Add the juice of half a lemon, some dried chilli and a knob of butter to the mushrooms. Stir in gently and put the pan aside.
8. Put your pappardelle pasta into the pan of boiling water and cook until al dente (about 2 minutes if the pasta’s fresh and 11 minutes if it’s dried).
9. Drain the pasta in a colander then add to the pan of mushrooms.
10. Add the parsley and then season one more time with sea salt and black pepper.
11. Mix the pasta with the mushrooms until each strip has been evenly coated.
12. Place on a warm plate and shave some fresh parmesan cheese on top.
13. Sprinkle a little more parsley over the dish to finish.

INGREDIENTS

• 400g pappardelle pasta (fresh or good quality dried)
• 600g mixed wild mushrooms (or use any mushrooms of your desire)
• 1 large clove of garlic (crushed)
• olive oil
• parmesan cheese
• 1 tea-spoon of chopped up dried chilli
• 1 lemon
• knob of salted butter
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 handful of parsley – roughly chopped

Buon appetito!