⅔ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
A little bit of truffle or truffle oil (optional)
Instructions
Place the dried mushrooms (morel or shiitake) in a bowl and pour 2 cups of hot water over them. Set aside for 10-30 minutes, depends on how big they are. Once they are soft, scoop the mushrooms out of the water. If they are large, cut them into smaller pieces. Set aside.
Reserve and drain the liquid through a coffee filter or paper towel, discard the gritty solids.
Meanwhile, remove the stems of the fresh mushrooms. Clean them with damp paper towel. Do not rinse them. Slice thickly. Set aside.
In a small pot, heat the chicken stock with the 2 cups of reserved mushroom liquid and bring it to simmer.
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch Oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Add the rice and stir.
Add the wine and cook for another 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of the chicken stock to the rice. Add the saffron, salt and pepper.
Stir and simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed, 5-10 minutes. Continue to add the stock 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time cook until the rice mixture seems a little dry before adding more of the liquid. Continue until the rice is cooked through (about 30-35 minutes total). When done, the risotto should be thick and creamy and not dry.
Off the heat, stir in fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot with extra cheese and a little bit of truffle or truffle oil on top.
Recipe by Let's Cook Some Food at https://www.letscooksomefood.com/wild-mushroom-risotto/