Pioppini Risotto

December 4, 2020meza-admin

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves:

While cooking this risotto I was thinking what to post about it later when writing the recipe and I thought something like… I was going on a hike after a rainy day and stumbled upon these little gems along the way. Took out my portable gas stove, cast iron skillet, chef knife, cutting board and all the other hiking essentials that, judging by the social media feed everyone caries around with themselves disregarding it wouldn’t fit into a truck; to post that “cooking in the woods” video people seem to love watching. But as cool as it sounds, that’s not the case here, honestly I got up, opened the fridge first thing in the morning grabbing my oat milk to make breakfast and saw them laying around on the shelf from the other day I bought them for I don’t know what reason. I like buying things that look cool, and they sure fit the description. So, I figured might just make a risotto with them for lunch and that’s what I love most about risotto. You can make a risotto with pretty much anything. Leftover chunks of cheese? make a risotto. Leftover pieces of meat from yesterday’s beef soup? Make a risotto. Too little vegetables to make a ratatouille? make a risotto. You get the point, you can make it from basically anything.

What are Pioppini?

Pioppini mushrooms are small to medium in size with brown caps on long cream colour stems. Their firm and silky caps average in 3-5cm diameter and range from brown to creamy white in color. the mushrooms should be sliced from the hard base and brushed or wiped with a damp towel to remove excess debris. It is not recommended to wash them as the water will change the texture of the mushroom.

Taste and texture wise they are very delicate and firm. (Keep in mind when preparing firmer mushrooms not to cut them too small expecting them to shrink, they pretty much keep all of their initial size.) What ever meal besides a risotto comes to mind, I would recommend sauteing them as this way you will emphasize their aroma the most.

Now as I’ve told you about what to expect from them, keep in mind that this will be a rather light meal. I brace you to experiment with what ever you come up with but adding anything spicy or dominant to this dish will throw a shade on the Pioppini. If you feel this doesn’t taste enough “mushroomy” instead of using a vegetable stock you can saute one onion, along with a handful of chopped champignons, stem of parsley and any leftovers from the fridge waiting to be thrown out. Pour in some water, bring to a boil and in 10 minutes you have a beautiful mushroom stock.

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Pioppini Risotto

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 170 gr rice, Arborio or Carnarolli
  • 140 ml water
  • 100 gr pioppini
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 sprig parsley
  • 1 dl white wine
  • 0.5 liter vegetable stock , (more if needed)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, preferably room temperature
  • 20 gr grated parmesan cheese

Method

  • 1)

    Start by preparing the rice. Take a skillet or shallow pot and place on medium-high heat. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil and toss in your rice.

  • 2)

    Stir constantly for about 2-3 minutes until the edges of the grain start becoming translucent.

  • 3)

    Now that we build a protective layer around the grain, pour in your water and stir frequently until all the water has evaporated.

  • 4)

    Transfer the rice onto a tin, and let cool.

  • 5)

    Once cool, your rice is ready to use. This is a neat little step worth making when cooking risotto as it helps release more of that starchy goodness later on when cooking the risotto. Par-cooked rice like this can last up to a week in a food container in your fridge and will greatly shorten your time preparing risotto.

  • 6)

    Now take your skillet and place on medium-high heat. Drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil and toss in your diced onions.

  • 7)

    Saute the onions until soft and beautifully golden brown. It will probably take in between 7-10 minutes.

  • 8)

    Once your onions are beautifully golden brown, add in your finely minced garlic and mushrooms and stir frequently.

  • 9)

    Saute your base for another couple of minutes until mushrooms are light and soft.

  • 10)

    Now add in your rice and season with salt and pepper. (This is the perfect time to add salt as it will drain any extra juices which will be absorbed by the rice.)

  • 11)

    Stir constantly for another minute or two and proceed to pour in your wine.

  • 12)

    Keep stirring (from this moment on, you’ll have to be stirring most of the time as more motion the rice makes, the more starch it releases, creating a creamy texture.) until all the wine has evaporated.

  • 13)

    Now start adding your vegetable stock (hot! so it doesn’t prevent the rice from continuing to cook.) a little at a time as the rice absorbs the liquid. The reason you don’t pour it all at the same time is because you don’t know how much liquid the rice will absorb.

  • 14)

    When the rice is cooked al-dente  it should still have a slightly “runny to watery” texture, we don’t want it thick.

  • 15)

    Now turn off the heat and add the chopped parsley and butter, preferably room temperature so it blends more quickly (Which, as you can see I did not have.).

  • 16)

    Once you add the butter, now is the time to really work your hand, and give the rice a good beating, stirring it vigorously until all the butter has blended with the dish.

  • 17)

    After the butter has blended add the parmesan cheese and beat again, this time not as vigorously until the cheese has melted.

Notes

Always finish the risotto in the order butter then parmigiano, because the butter gives it the creaminess, and the parmesan cheese thickens it from becoming too runny.

Exception is when making seafood risotto where the butter is substituted with olive oil. Drizzle slowly over the vigorously beating rice until emulsified.

Nutrition

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