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Italian Recipe: Chef Glady’s Wild Mushroom Risotto with Truffles

When it comes to risotto, the Italians turn into perfectionists. After rigorous training under some of the world’s best Italian chefs, Per Te’s Executive Chef, Gladwin Anton (fondly known as Chef Glady) has mastered the fine art of Italian cooking, a mean feat given he hails from a vastly different ethnic background (Chef Glady is an Indian national).

Being able to cook the perfect risotto elevates you to the status of a well-respected Italian chef, and Chef Glady has built a reputation around his very own risotto creations.

Today Chef Glady has generously agreed to share a very special risotto recipe with us:

Selvatici Risotto ai Funghi al Tartufo (Wild Mushroom Risotto with Truffles).

recipe selvatici risotto ai funghi al tartufo italian cooking wild mushroom risotto with truffles

Ingredients:

  • 25 grams dried procini crepes mushrooms
  • 40 grams fresh porcini
  • 40 grams oyster mushroom
  • 40 grams button mushroom
  • 30 grams black truffle paste
  • 6 slices black truffle
  • 10 ml truffle-infused olive oil
  • 4 cups vegetable stock, preferably home-made
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped white onion
  • 130 grams Carnaroli rice
  • 40 grams chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish

italian recipe risotto wild mushroom truffles chef

Method:

1) Place the dry porcini mushrooms in a bowl, and immerse in 2 cups boiling water. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Dried porcini crepes mushrooms have a distintictively pungent smell, and give out a very robust mushroom flavor.
Dried porcini crepes mushrooms have a distintictively pungent smell, and give out a very robust mushroom flavor.
porcini water
The water will turn a deep brown.

2) Remove the porcini from the liquid using a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve the liquid. You should have 2 cups of liquid. If not, add water.

3) Filter the mushroom liquid using a coffee filter or paper towel to remove gritty solids. Mix with the vegetable stock, and simmer over low heat. Remove, and set aside.

4) Slice up the mushrooms to bite-sized portions.

Chef Glady’s Tip: Never use a knife on oyster mushrooms, they will turn black. Simply tear it up with your fingers.

5) In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

sauted onions recipe
The onion should be translucent and fragrant, never browned.

6) Add the porcini crepes, fresh porcini, oyster and button mushrooms, and saute for another 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan.

sauted mushrooms italian recipe
The mushrooms should turn a beautifully caramelized golden brown.

7) Heat the butter again, and add the Carnaroli rice. Coat well, and stir over medium-low heat till you hear the rice popping.

Chef Glady’s Tip: Owing to its high starch content, Carnaroli rice is the best option for risottos and gives the dish an overall creamier texture.

8) Add 2 ladles of the mushroom liquid mixture along with generous pinches of salt and pepper. Stir and simmer over low heat until all the stock has been absorbed (approx 5 to 10 minutes).

risotto recipe italian

9) Repeat the process of adding ladles of the mushroom liquid, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook till the rice looks semi-dry before adding more stock.

10) Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente (approximately 18 to 22 minutes). When done, the risotto should be thick and creamy, never dry.

11) Remove from heat. Add butter, black truffle paste, Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Stir in thoroughly.

risotto stir well

12) Garnish with extra shavings of Parmesan, black truffle slices and a generous drizzle of truffle oil. Serve hot.

recipe selvatici risotto ai funghi al tartufo italian cooking
Doesn’t this look stunning? A decadent wild mushroom risotto with truffle made per te (Italian for ‘for you’)!

Lucky me, I got to eat this (yes, the above pic is my plate before I delved right in to it!). This has to be the best risotto I’ve ever had. It had a decadently rich mushroom-truffle flavor, and was perfectly cooked al dente. Amazing how it had no cream added (as it tasted like it was based on a creamy sauce).

Chef Glady’s Tip: Use the best quality ingredients you can find. 

When it comes to Parmesan, Chef Glady is a self-declared cheese snob. He states regular Parmesan can even be made in the UAE. However, at Per Te he only uses the finest.

This block of Parmigiano Reggiano (Italian for Parmesan) has been imported directly from Italy. It is a 36 month old Parmesan with a distinctively sharp cheese flavor, and a crumbly texture.

parmesan cheese italian

parmigiano reggiano
Notice the parmigiano reggiano authenticity seal on the back.

For the garnish, Chef Glady has added a few sprigs of herbs to add color to the dish. He has his own little herb garden from where he snips fresh cuts.

italian herbs garden
Because only the freshest ingredients will do!

When making a dish, a true chef always pays attention to 4 things: Quality, Quantity, Taste & Presentation. Chef Glady, Per Te – Dubai.

Eager to try the magic of Chef Glady’s cooking for yourself? Visit Per Te today! Read my review on Per Te in my earlier post here.

Per Te is located in Jumeirah 1, right behind Jumeirah Plaza (Street 12C, Villa 54). Call 04 344 6455 for reservations.