Risotto ai Funghi Porcini

The story

Risotto belongs to the rice country of northern Italy. Rice reached Italy in the Middle Ages and was first grown in Sicily and around Naples before cultivation moved north to the Po Valley, where rice, butter and Grana Padano became everyday staples. The method followed today, toasting the rice in a soffritto and adding hot broth a ladle at a time, was described by Antonio Nebbia in his 1779 cookbook Il Cuoco Maceratese. The finish has its own name, mantecatura: off the heat, cold butter and grated cheese are beaten in until the rice turns creamy. Porcini grow in beech, pine, chestnut and fir woods, but dried ones are sold all year, and drying concentrates their flavor. The porcino is Boletus edulis, and its Italian name is an exact translation of the Late Latin suillus. Some of the best-known porcini grow around Borgotaro in the province of Parma, where they are protected with a PGI and the mushroom trade has been documented since the 17th century. Strain the soaking water with care, since it carries both flavor and grit, and pour the rest of the white wine at the table.