Porcini Risotto al Barolo

This is not the rustic risotto of nonna’s kitchen, but a refined interpretation that marries French technique with Piedmontese soul. Arborio is eschew...

4 servings
Italian Cuisine
🟠Advanced★★★★☆
Aug 2, 2025
29 views

Ingredients

🌾

320 g

Carnaroli rice

aged 1-2 years for optimal starch development

🥩

80 g

Parmigiano-Reggiano

36-month aged, finely grated

🥬

1 small

Carrot

peeled and finely diced for stock

🥬

1 medium

Yellow onion

finely minced to brunoise

🥬

1 small

Celery stalk

finely diced for stock

💧

250 ml

Barolo wine

good quality, preferably from 2018 or later

🥬

30 g

Dried porcini mushrooms

high-quality, preferably from Alba

📦

1.2 L

Veal demi-glace

homemade or highest quality store-bought

🥛

100 g

Unsalted butter

European style, 82% fat, divided

📦

2 small

Shallot

minced

🥬

to taste

Freshly cracked black pepper

🫒

30 ml

Extra virgin olive oil

fruity, cold-pressed

🌶️

to taste

Kosher salt

📦

5 g

White Alba truffle

fresh, for shaving at service

Categories:🥩protein🥬vegetable🍎fruit🌾grain🥛dairy🌶️spice🫒oil💧liquid📦other

Instructions

Step 1
Warm the Barolo to 60°C in a small saucepan—never let it boil or the alcohol will evaporate prematurely. Remove from heat and add the dried porcini mushrooms, ensuring they're fully submerged. Let them rehydrate for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving both the wine and porcini separately. Finely chop the rehydrated porcini.
Step 2
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the veal demi-glace with the onion, carrot, and celery. Add the porcini soaking liquid and any porcini trimmings. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce by one-third to concentrate the flavors. This creates your enriched stock. Maintain at a bare simmer.
Step 3
Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add 15ml of olive oil and 30g of butter, swirling until the butter foams but doesn't brown. Add the minced shallot and a pinch of salt, sweating gently until translucent—about 2-3 minutes. The goal is sweetness, not color.
Step 4
Add the carnaroli rice to the pan, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula. Toast the rice until each grain is evenly coated with fat and you hear a gentle clicking sound—approximately 90 seconds. The rice should be opaque at the edges but still pearly in the center.
Step 5
Deglaze with the reserved Barolo wine, stirring vigorously. The wine will sizzle and steam dramatically—this is the moment when the wine's tannins begin to marry with the rice's starch. Reduce until nearly dry, about 2 minutes.
Step 6
Begin adding the enriched stock one ladle at a time, stirring constantly with the same wooden spatula. Each addition should just cover the rice. Wait until the liquid is almost completely absorbed before adding the next ladle. This process should take 16-18 minutes.
Step 7
After 12 minutes, add the chopped rehydrated porcini mushrooms. Their earthiness will infuse the rice as it finishes cooking. Continue the ladle-by-ladle process.
Step 8
Begin testing the rice at 16 minutes. Perfect carnaroli should offer slight resistance (al dente) while the center is no longer chalky. The risotto should ripple like lava when you shake the pan—this is the all'onda stage.
Step 9
Remove the pan from heat. Vigorously fold in the remaining 70g of cold butter, cut into small cubes, and the Parmigiano-Reggiano. This mantecatura creates the signature glossy emulsion. The risotto should spread slowly when plated.
Step 10
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. The risotto should be fluid enough to settle into a perfect circle on the plate. Let it rest for 30 seconds—this allows the starch to relax.
Step 11
Plate immediately in warm, shallow bowls. Using the back of a spoon, create a gentle well in the center. Shave fresh white Alba truffle over each portion tableside, allowing the aromatic compounds to bloom in the steam.

✨Chef's Tips

  • ★Temperature is everything: keep your stock at exactly 85°C throughout cooking. Too hot and the rice will burst; too cool and the starch won't release properly.
  • ★The mantecatura is pure physics: cold butter (4°C) creates a temporary emulsion with the hot starch (85°C) and aged cheese. Work off-heat to prevent the butter from separating into fat and water phases.
  • ★Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of your enriched stock to adjust consistency at service. Even perfectly cooked risotto tightens as it sits—this final ladle will restore the all'onda texture.
  • ★For the ultimate Piedmontese experience, pair with a 2017 Vietti Barolo Rocche di Castiglione. The wine's rose petal notes will echo the truffle while its tannic structure cuts through the butter and cheese.
  • ★If fresh white truffle is unavailable, a few drops of white truffle oil added during the final 30 seconds of cooking will provide the necessary aromatic lift without overwhelming the dish.
risottoporciniBarolotrufflePiedmontwhite trufflecarnaroliluxuryMichelin