Porcini Risotto

The story with this recipe is as follows....

The Italy vs England Euro Cup game was on, and in an effort to celebrate with food, I obviously had to cook something Italiano! What first came to mind when thinking about an Italian Sunday was Pasta, obviously.  But pasta was too typical - I wanted to diverge away from the usual Sunday Pasta and Sauce, so I went with the next best thing - Risotto!

These few Italian ingredients created a tremendous flavor. The tomato and white wine really shine in this dish...Maybe it should be called tomato and white wine Risotto... Well, you be the judge!  Try it , and enjoy as much as we did.

Buon Appetito, and Forza Azzurri!!!

Ingredients: 4 servings

• 7-8 cups chicken broth
• 1 small can of tomato puree
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• Few strands of Saffron
• 1/2-3/4 cups Dry Porcini Mushrooms, cut into pieces and hydrated
• 3/4 cup Parmiggiano cheese, grated
• Pinch of Crush Red Pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken broth, saffron, and the tomato puree, and bring to a simmer. Keep warm over low heat.

In a separate, large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add in olive oil. Add in onion, garlic, crushed red pepper and cook until translucent.

Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat each grain.

When rice begins to make a crackling sound, add the white wine. Stir constantly, letting the the wine cook off and the rice absorb the wine. After about 90 seconds, add in 1 ladle of the warm broth and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Repeat this process, adding the remaining broth, one ladle at a time. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more.

About mid way, add in the Porcini Mushrooms.

After you add in your final ladle of broth, add in the grated parmigiano and stir well until cheese is blended. 

Test the rice to see if it is done. It should be slightly al dente, but creamy.  Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Plate in a bowl and garnish with a basil leaf, which will give a nice aroma to the dish.