The ultimate mushroom risotto with fresh truffle

Fresh truffle … what a next level ingredient to indulge in, with its pungent, musky aroma and a deeply satisfying, yet subtle flavour.

The first cultivated Australian truffle-inoculated oak trees were planted in north west Tasmania in 1993 by Duncan Garvey, who founded Perigord Truffles. It took six years for the first truffle to emerge, which was not only a cause for great celebration in culinary circles, but it started what was to become a very special new commercial industry in Tasmania – and Australia.

My first time

Although I knew about this luxury ingredient and what they represented in the food world, I had never bought, smelled or tasted one until 2012. At the time, I was working in South Melbourne, not too far from the popular eating spot St Ali, and noticed a sign for Madame Truffles. I was curious. Very curious, so I decided to pay the business a visit the next day.

The place was quite bare, with jars of the knobbly black fungus on shelves and a wooden trestle table for a counter. It was more of a warehouse feel than a fancy pants place to buy gourmet ingredients. I explained I’d never tried truffles before and wasn’t sure what to buy. So the friendly staff member showed me the range.

When I say ‘range’, I mean they had truffles from Tasmania, New South Wales and Western Australia (I think that’s all), with varying degrees of pungency.

And so, I began to smell. Whoa. What a sensation.

While it was a long time ago, I recall the first sensory experience was like smelling petrol. And something else – something unnamed but strong and pungent and earthy and musky all at the same time. I smelled from each jar, taking in the subtle differences and strengths of each one.

Finally, I settled on a little one, and all these years later I can’t even recall where it was from. But it was from one of the mid-strength scented jars.

When I made my first meal with it – a pasta dish from memory – I was sold. It wasn’t as strong in flavour as it was in aroma, but it just added something, that element of depth that nothing else had done before.

Since that year, I’ve bought one or two truffles just as an indulgent treat each season.

Tips for a great risotto

These simple tips will help you achieve a perfect risotto – regardless of whether you’re indulging in truffles or not. It can take time to get it perfect, but once you do, you’ll realise how easy it is and want to make it time and again.

• The rice:
  • I use Carnaroli rice, which makes a creamy risotto that retains a firmness in the grain.
  • The easiest rice to find in Australian mainstream supermarkets is Arborio. This is okay as well, however it can overcook and become gluggy if it’s not watched.
  • A relatively obscure rice in Australia is Vialone Nano. It’s from the Veneto region in northern Italy and available in specialist foodstores such as Simon Johnson.
  • And pro tip – don’t wash the rice! You want the starches to create the creaminess.
• The stock:
  • Use fresh, home-made stock for the best flavour, and make sure it’s simmering before you start. Stock can be chicken, vegetable, seafood. You can find a recipe for how I make my chicken stock here.
• The pan:
  • Use a large, heavy-based pan so the rice spreads out and isn’t too thick. This lets the heat distribute evenly.
• The wine:
  • Use decent wine you enjoy drinking. The rice will take on the flavour of the wine, so if you don’t like the wine, you won’t like the flavour of the risotto. You can leave it out if you don’t drink or use alcohol in cooking. When you’ve added the wine, let it reduce completely.
• The cooking:
  • Keep adding stock, just enough to cover the grains, and stir until the starches are released, then leave to gently simmer until ready for the next ladle.
• When it’s ready:
  • The rice is cooked when the stock stops being absorbed. Add a little more for soupier risotto, or stop if you like yours drier.
• The finish:
  • If you’re adding vegetables (like the mushrooms below), pre-cook them first, remove from the pan and add them last. For example, I like making risotto with roasted / pan fried pumpkin and it would go very mushy if I cooked it while the rice is cooking.
  • Add just enough butter and cheese at the end to enrich the risotto, but don’t overdo it.

Without further ado, let’s cook mushroom risotto (with truffle)

The ultimate mushroom risotto with fresh truffle

Recipe by Marti CuattCourse: Recipe

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

You will need

• Fresh black truffle – allow about 7-10 grams per person, plus a bit extra for the risotto

• 60g butter

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 12 portobello mushrooms, sliced or chopped finely (or if you like you can use a mixture of mushrooms)

• 1 brown onion finely sliced

• 1 litre hot chicken stock (or vegetable)

• 1.25 cups carnaroli rice (or you can use arborio)

• 1/3 cup dry white wine

• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

• 1-2 tablespoons butter, extra (optional)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Here’s what to do

• Have your stock gently simmering in a pot before you start.
• Add the oil and butter to a heavy bottom pan and heat until the butter melts.
• Tip in the mushrooms and sauté gently for five minutes until they’ve softened, then remove them from the pan and set aside.
• Add the other half of the oil and when it’s warm, add the onion and sauté gently until translucent.
• Pour in the rice and stir with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until the grains are fully coated in the oil. You may even hear a bit of a crackling sound as it absorbs. That’s good.
• Add the white wine all at once and stir until the liquid has absorbed.
• Begin adding the stock, one ladle at a time, stirring for a minute or so after each addition to release the starches from the rice. You’ll see it become creamy as you stir.
• Let it simmer between additions to absorb the liquid and keep adding the stock in this way until the rice has cooked to al dente – which is when it’s cooked, but still a bit firm to the bite.
• Note, you don’t need to keep stirring the whole time, just when you add each ladle of stock. You may not use up all the stock – keep adding until it’s as liquid as you like risotto to be.
• Near the end of cooking, return the mushrooms back to the pan and finely grate in about 5 grams of fresh truffle. Check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• To finish
• Stir in a good couple of tablespoons of parmesan cheese and add the extra butter, if using. Stir through and prepare to serve.
• To serve
• Add 1-2 ladles of risotto to each plate and finish off with slices of fresh truffle.
• Have a small bowl of grated Parmigiano Reggiano on the side for people to sprinkle themselves if they want.

Tips and tricks

• Portobello mushrooms are also known as Swiss Brown mushrooms
• The ideal texture for the rice is to keep a bit of texture without it being dry and chalky in the middle. ust test as you go and when it feels cooked through but still a little firm to the teeth, it’s done.
• If you like a really well cooked rice instead of al dente rice, that’s up to you! Keep cooking going until you have the texture you like.