Tag: Porcini

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is epic. Think of it as a canvass to unleash your culinary creativity, since it is the perfect vehicle to carry an inspiring flavour to the plate! Follow the formulaic process for creating the risotto base, and then finish it with literally countless variations of accenting flavours. The basic recipe for risotto is astoundingly simple, and the key to a perfect risotto is all in the technique:

Saute onions with olive oil, then add rice and continue. Add hot stock, one ladle at a time while stirring the risotto to massage out the starch from the grains. Finish with butter and parmesan.

The perfect risotto should have an individual bite to each grain, not an overcooked rice-pudding like texture. It should also be freely flowing, and not overly stiff. This is one of the most common crimes against risotto. Let me say this, if your risotto sticks to the underside of an upside down spoon, it is too stiff! A proper risotto will slowly ooze, like a slow flow of lava!

Mushroom risotto is a classic dish for the fall. Mushroom stock can be created by soaking dried mushrooms, with porcini carrying the most prominent umami flavour for the base. The re-constituted mushrooms can then be added back into the risotto for flavour and texture. I like to finish the risotto with an assortment of whatever fresh mushrooms I can get my hands on, sautéed to bring out their earthy flavour.

Ingredients:

1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice

2 cups chicken, vegetable, or mushroom stock

10g dried porcini mushrooms

0.5 cup hot water

2 cups of mixed wild mushrooms, I used 1 cup of fresh shiitake and 1 cup of frozen chanterelles

1 small yellow onion, minced

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

0.5 cup white wine or dry vermouth

Sprig of fresh thyme and sage, stems discarded and leaves chopped

0.5 cup fresh chives

Juice of half a lemon

2 tbsp butter

1 cup shredded parmesan, or other firm cheese

About 4 tbsp olive oil, enough for several “glugs” throughout the process

Salt and pepper to taste

IMG_3261

Directions:

  1. Re-constitute the dried porcini mushrooms by adding them to a bowl with the hot water. Let sit for about 15 minutes, then remove and roughly chop the mushrooms and reserve the liquid. In the meantime, add the stock to a saucepan and maintain at a simmer.
  2. If using frozen mushrooms, sauté in a spaced out layer over medium heat to remove the moisture. You can just let them sit if they are well spaced enough, until they are slightly browned and much more dry. Remove from pan and set aside for later use.
  3. Saute the fresh mushrooms over high heat with a glug of oil. Make sure to develop some good colour on the mushrooms. Remove from pan and set aside for later use.
  4. Reduce pan to medium high heat, add another glug of oil, then add the onions and garlic. Saute until onions just begin to brown, then add the rice and another glug of oil. Stir the rice and onion mixture continuously to coat all of the rice grains with a bit of oil. The idea is to toast the rice slightly before beginning to add the liquid. Just as the first rice grains begin to turn opaque, add the wine along with the sage and thyme, as well as the porcini mushrooms with their liquid and stir vigorously.
  5. After the rice absorbs about half of the wine, add a ladle full of hot stock and continue to stir. Don’t allow the risotto to become too dry throughout this process, as it will damage the individual grains and the consistency. The stirring should always be easy and the risotto flow back and forth in a wavelike motion if the pan is shaken. Continue to repeat this process one ladle of stock at a time until finished. The constant stirring is critical, as it massages out the starch of the rice grains and gives the risotto its characteristic creamy consistency. Don’t be alarmed if the rice has a slight bite to it after the stock is used up, as risotto should have this texture.
  6. Remove pan from heat once the risotto is done cooking, then add the sautéed mushrooms, butter, cheese, chives, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
  7. Secret step: add 2 tbsp of good olive oil to the finished risotto, then gently fold ingredients together. This is the critical step for developing a lovely, oozing risotto.

Enjoy!

IMG_3266

Rib Eye Steak with Porcini Sherry Sauce and Blue Cheese

This is my formula for steak, and I almost never deviate from it:

Seasoning: Nothing more than a liberal amount of salt and pepper

Cook: Sear and baste with butter, thyme, garlic. Finish in the oven. Rest.

Sauce: Pan reduction sauce with wine or spirits, finished with butter.

Simple right? A great steak should be simple; treat it with care and respect, and let the quality ingredient do the work. When I was learning to cook steak, the sauces would end up over complicated and confusing. What I do now is way more simple and less time consuming, but the results are infinitely superior. It’s funny how a decade of experimenting in the kitchen leads to the pursuit of simplicity.

This recipe is only a slight deviation from the general formula, since re-hydrated mushrooms are incorporated into the sauce in the last step. Some exceptional, crumbly blue cheese is the perfect contrast to the richness of the beef and sauce.

You could also barbecue, but why miss out on the opportunity for a great pan sauce? Save that for the hanger and flat iron steaks.

Please opt for a smaller, but higher quality steak instead of the biggest behemoth you can find. You will end up with a better sear, more flavour, and a far superior presentation.

Ingredients:

For the steak:

1 best quality rib-eye steak you can afford

Generous amount of kosher salt and coarsely cracked black pepper

1 tbsp grapeseed or light olive oil

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 tbsp butter

Couple sprigs of fresh thyme

For the sauce:

1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms

1/2 cup boiling hot water

1 oz dry sherry

1 tbsp butter

Small chunk of good quality blue cheese

Directions:

1. Re-hydrate the mushrooms with hot water in a bowl and set aside. Do not drain or discard the mushrooms.

2. Meanwhile, generously season the steak. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Get a cast iron pan piping hot, add the oil, then carefully sear the steak on one side. Do not disrupt it, this is important! You can take a peak after about two minutes by using a fork to pull up one corner. If you see a rich amber brown all over the full surface, not just the edges, then you can flip it.

3. After you flip the steak, add the butter, thyme, and garlic. Your pan should be hot enough that the thyme crackles as it hits the pan. Tilt the pan so that the butter infuses with the flavour of the garlic and thyme, and spoon the butter over the steak several times. Repeat for about 2 minutes, then toss in the oven for 5 minutes for medium rare.

4. After cooked, remove the steak from the pan and set aside to rest. Put the pan back on high heat, then add the mushrooms, including the brown mushroom stock resulting from the re-hydration. Reduce to a third, then add the sherry and continue to reduce to a nappe consistency. Remove from heart, add the butter, then strain with a fine mesh.

5. To plate, pour the sauce on a plate, arrange a couple stalks of seared asparagus in parallel, then top with some roasted potatoes. Place the steak on top of the garnish, then top with the blue cheese and serve.

Enjoy!