Porcini Risotto Timbales

Makes 6

An impressive entrée or light luncheon dish that can be prepared in advance.

40g Gigante porcini      
3 cups Sabato chicken stock
Extra virgin olive oil (EVO)     
½ onion or 2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, 2 chopped, 1 left whole and bruised
1 cup Ferron vialone nano rice     
100ml white wine 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1/3 leek, chopped and blanched
1 tsp thyme leaves, plus 1 sprig
100g Zany Zeus mascarpone      
150ml cream
1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Parmigiano Reggiano

 
Soak porcini in 250ml of boiling water for 15 minutes, drain (reserving the soaking water) and chop.

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer.

Heat a little oil in a heavy-based saucepan and sauté the onion and chopped garlic until soft (the ‘soffrito’). Add the rice and stir continuously for 3 minutes to ‘toast’ the rice. Add half the soaked porcini with half of the soaking water and the wine, and let evaporate. Add 2 cups of the hot stock, stir and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Season, remove from heat and rest for 2 minutes.

Stir the risotto ‘Mantecare’ to release the natural starches which make it creamy. Cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.

To make the timbales:

Preheat oven to 170°C.

Lightly brush 6 timbale molds with EVO.

Mix leek, thyme leaves and mascarpone together.

Half fill each mould with risotto mixture, pressing down firmly with the back of a spoon. Make a small central indentation and fill with 1 tsp of the mascarpone mixture. Top with the remaining risotto mix and press firmly.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Rest for five minutes before turning out.

To make the sauce:

Put the remaining chicken stock and porcini with remaining soaking liquid, cream, bruised garlic clove and sprig of thyme in a pan and boil rapidly to reduce until the mixture is thick enough to coat back of spoon.

Remove garlic clove and sprig of thyme, season with salt and pepper to taste and add chopped chives.

Serve with grated Parmigiano.