Risotto ai funghi porcini
Northern Italy's autumn risotto: carnaroli rice toasted, simmered in broth with porcini and their soaking water, finished with butter and Parmigiano.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Risotto ai funghi porcini gets its depth from dried porcini and their soaking liquid, with fresh porcini added when they are in season. The rice is toasted in butter with a little onion, splashed with white wine, then fed hot broth a ladle at a time while you stir, so the starch thickens the liquid into a creamy sauce. The strained porcini water goes in with the broth. At the end comes the mantecatura: off the heat, beat in cold butter and Parmigiano until the risotto turns glossy and flows. There is no cream and no truffle oil. Done is risotto 'all'onda', loose enough to settle in a wave when the plate is tapped, each grain still with a slight bite at its centre.
What you'll need
10 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Short-grain rice, carnaroli or vialone nano320 g
- Porcini, dried, soaked in 300 ml warm water30 g
- Mushrooms, fresh porcini if in season, sliced (optional)200 g
- Vegetable stock, light broth, kept hot1.2 l
- Onion, finely chopped½ medium
- Dry white wine100 ml
- Butter, half of it cold, for the end60 g
- Parmigiano Reggiano, grated60 g
- Parsley, chopped (optional)15 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Soak the dried porcini in warm water for 20 minutes. Lift them out, chop them, and strain the water through kitchen paper.
20 min
Step 2
Melt half the butter, soften the onion, then add the chopped porcini and the fresh mushrooms if using and cook 3 minutes.
8 min
Step 3
Add the rice and toast it for 2 minutes, stirring, until the grains look translucent at the edges. Add the wine and let it evaporate.
3 min
Step 4
Add the porcini water and then hot broth a ladle at a time, stirring often and letting each addition be absorbed, until the rice is tender with a slight bite, 16–18 minutes.
18 min
Step 5
Off the heat, beat in the cold butter and Parmigiano. Rest 1 minute, check the salt, and serve flowing on warm plates.
2 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 353 kcal
- Protein
- 15.1 g
- Carbs
- 32.1 g
- Fat
- 18.4 g
- Saturated fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 2.6 g
- Sugar
- 3.5 g
- Sodium
- 1912 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Milk
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Vegetarian only with a vegetarian Parmigiano Reggiano: the traditional cheese is made with animal rennet.
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Dried porcini → Mixed dried wild mushrooms
Less deep; use a little more.
Tips
- Leave the last grit of the soaking water in the bowl; it is sand.
- Risotto waits for no one: have the plates warm and the table ready.
History & culture
This is an autumn dish across northern Italy, from Piedmont to Trentino, when families go into the woods for porcini and the markets fill with them. Restaurants serve it with fresh porcini in season and with dried ones the rest of the year.
Risotto developed in the rice-growing plains of Piedmont and Lombardy, where rice has been farmed since the fifteenth century. Mushroom risotto came naturally from the same kitchens, with drying porcini the old way of keeping the autumn harvest through the year.
Traditional — Butter and Parmigiano make it creamy. No cream, no truffle oil.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Risotto ai funghi porcini take?
50 min all in — 25 min prep, 25 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Gluten-free.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Dutch oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Dried porcini → Mixed dried wild mushrooms. Less deep; use a little more.
Any tips from this recipe?
Leave the last grit of the soaking water in the bowl; it is sand. Risotto waits for no one: have the plates warm and the table ready.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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