November 3, 2003

Porcini Walnut Risotto

My sister Céline lives in Frankfurt, Germany. Thankfully she is to come back to work in France at the beginning of next year, which makes me deliriously happy, but until then we have to make do with the week-ends she comes to spend with us. This Saturday, after the traditional afternoon of shopping together, Céline came over for dinner. She is very appreciative of my cooking, so it’s always a pleasure feeding her…

As a main dish, I prepared a porcini walnut risotto. The trusted recipe I always start from is the Basic Pressure Cooker Risotto recipe that Val posted on the Cooking Light Bulletin Board a while ago, which I tweak to include whatever ingredients my risotto happens to star.

(Note : I am going to start listing the ingredients upfront, instead of introducing them as I explain the recipe steps.)

Porcini Walnut Risotto

- 3 C vegetable stock (prepared with a cube of bouillon)
- 30 g dried porcini (bought at the market in Gourdon)
- an onion
- 3 cloves of pink garlic
- 1-1/2 C Arborio rice
- 1/2 C dry white wine
- 1/2 C crushed walnuts
- 1/3 C freshly grated parmesan + more to serve

(Serves 3 to 4)

I heated up the bouillon in a saucepan and dropped the dried porcini in to soak.

In the pressure cooker over high heat, I heated olive oil and sautéed the cut-up onion and garlic. To that I added the Arborio rice, stirring to coat. When everything had turned golden, I poured the bouillon, the porcini and the white wine in, stirred and closed the pressure cooker.

When it started whistling (mine whistles the tune to The Wizard of Oz, go figure), I lowered the heat and counted 7 minutes. I then released the pressure, opened the lid and tasted the rice. The texture was just right, so I stirred in the crushed walnuts and the freshly grated parmesan.

Each of us was served a little mound of risotto, on which I ground pepper and sprinkled parmesan, with a side of green salad. Alternatively the risotto could be deposited on a bed of salad in a shallow bowl, and circles could be used to mold the rice (but this was just us, so I forwent the fuss).

Risotto is always a very satisfying dish, and here the creamy rice was particularly well complemented by the soft porcini and the crunchy walnuts. Had we had any leftovers (but the three of us polished this off nicely), I would have made risotto cakes the next day, sautéed in a little olive oil in a skillet.

More Entries Like This One:
~ Beef Kidneys with Ceps and Onions
~ Plum Tart with Walnut Cream
~ Beet Soup with Anchovy-Walnut Paste
~ Warm Leek Salad with Fresh Walnuts
~ Mini Summer Rolls with Thai Dipping Sauce

Never miss a recipe!
Sign up for the Chocolate & Zucchini newsletter to receive monthly news and a digest of recent entries.

 Print me! |  Comments (5)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Main Dishes - Recipe Inside!