A luxurious risotto combining earthy porcini mushrooms, creamy Arborio rice, and perfectly seared scallops, finished with Parmesan and Pecorino cheese.
Risotto, the culinary pride of Italy, is a timeless dish with a fascinating history. While Milanese risotto is renowned for its saffron-infused golden hues, this variation pairs the creamy texture of Arborio rice with the earthy richness of porcini mushrooms and the delicate sweetness of scallops.
This recipe, crafted by the talented chef Darya Grasitskaya, brings a gourmet flair to your kitchen. With careful attention to each step, you’ll create a dish that embodies the essence of Italian cuisine: simplicity, quality ingredients, and bold flavors.
Ingredients
Method
- Soak the dried porcini in the hot water for 20 minutes.
- Lift out the porcini, squeeze them over the bowl and chop them.
- Pour the soaking liquid through a paper towel into the saucepan, leaving any grit behind, and add the stock.
- Bring the stock to a bare simmer and keep it on the lowest heat.
- Pull the small tough side muscle off each scallop, pat them dry and leave them on paper towels in the fridge.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in the risotto pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the rice and thyme and stir for 2 minutes, until the edges of the grains look translucent and the rice crackles.
- Pour in the wine and stir until it has evaporated.
- Add a ladle of hot stock and stir often until it is mostly absorbed.
- Keep adding the stock a ladle at a time for 16–18 minutes, until the rice is creamy and tender with a slight bite in the centre; you may not need all of it.
- While the rice cooks, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in the skillet over high heat and fry the fresh mushrooms and chopped porcini for 5–6 minutes, until golden and dry; season with salt and pepper.
- Stir the mushrooms into the risotto and remove the thyme stalks.
- Take the pan off the heat, add the cold butter and Parmesan and beat hard for 30 seconds.
- Add a splash of stock if needed so the risotto flows slowly when spooned, then cover and leave for 2 minutes.
- Wipe out the skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over high heat until it shimmers, add the garlic for 30 seconds to flavour the oil, then lift it out.
- Season the scallops with salt and lay them in the pan, well apart.
- Sear for 1½–2 minutes without moving them, until a deep golden crust forms.
- Turn the scallops and cook for about 1 minute, until the sides are opaque but the centre is still slightly translucent.
- Spoon the risotto onto warm plates, top each with two scallops and finish with the Pecorino and black pepper.
- Prepare the Risotto Base
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add the Arborio rice and thyme, stirring until the rice begins to crackle lightly.
- Add Wine and Broth
- Pour in the white wine and cook until evaporated.
- Begin adding the warm chicken broth one ladle at a time, stirring continuously. Allow the liquid to absorb before adding the next ladle. Repeat until the rice is nearly cooked but still firm to the bite (al dente).
- Cook the Porcini Mushrooms
- In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Sauté the porcini mushrooms until golden, seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Finish the Risotto
- Add the sautéed mushrooms to the risotto, along with butter and Parmesan cheese. Stir gently until creamy and well combined.
- Sear the Scallops
- In a clean pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the crushed garlic for flavor, then sear the scallops for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and slightly caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.
- Plate and Serve
- Spoon the risotto into a deep plate. Place the seared scallops on top.
- Garnish with Pecorino cheese and serve immediately.
What we changed for home
- Rice raised to 300 g for four main courses The original says it serves two but uses 80 g of rice, a single main-course portion.
- Stock raised to 1.2 litres, kept simmering The original's 200 g of broth for 80 g of rice is about half of what Arborio absorbs, so the rice would stay chalky. Hot stock keeps the rice cooking evenly.
- Fresh porcini replaced with 20 g dried porcini and 250 g chestnut (cremini) mushrooms Fresh porcini are in shops only for a few weeks in autumn; dried porcini give the deep flavour and fresh mushrooms the texture. Use 250 g fresh porcini if you find them.
- Porcini soaking liquid added to the stock It carries much of the porcini flavour.
- Dry-packed scallops Scallops soaked in a phosphate solution ('wet' scallops) give off water in the pan and won't brown.
- Scallops seared for 1½–2 minutes on the first side and about 1 minute on the second 2–3 minutes on each side, as written, overcooks large scallops and makes them rubbery.
- Garlic lifted out of the oil before the scallops go in At searing heat, crushed garlic burns in under a minute and turns bitter.
The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.
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