Nonna Fiore’s Porcini Mushroom Risotto — A Recipe from the Dolomites

This authentic porcini mushroom risotto recipe comes from the heart of the Dolomites, where Nonna Fiore has been cooking for her family for over sixty years.

She waits for the porcini.

In the forests above her village, porcini mushrooms emerge after the first autumn rains — firm, fragrant, and impossibly precious. For generations, our family has gathered them by hand, cleaned them carefully at the kitchen table, and turned them into one of the most beloved dishes in the Italian mountain tradition: risotto ai funghi porcini.

This is not a restaurant recipe. It is a family recipe. The kind passed down without measurements, learned by watching, adjusted by instinct. We’ve written it down here as faithfully as we can — so that you can bring a little of the Dolomites into your own kitchen.

Follow this porcini mushroom risotto recipe step by step and bring the flavours of the Italian mountains into your kitchen.

Porcini mushroom risotto recipe — authentic Italian Dolomites style

Nonna Fiore’s Porcini Mushroom Risotto

Creamy, earthy, and deeply comforting — this authentic Italian porcini mushroom risotto comes straight from Nonna Fiore's kitchen in the Dolomites.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 320 g 1¾ cups Carnaroli rice (or Arborio)
  • 400 g 14 oz fresh porcini mushrooms (or 40g dried porcini, rehydrated)
  • 1 small golden onion finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 litre 4 cups good vegetable broth, kept hot
  • 1 glass dry white wine
  • 60 g 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 50 g ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
  • A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
 

  1. Step 1 — Clean the porcini
  2. Never wash porcini mushrooms under running water — they absorb moisture like a sponge and lose all their precious flavour. Instead, use a small knife to scrape away any soil from the base of the stem. Then wipe each mushroom gently with a slightly damp cloth or paper towel. Separate the caps from the stems, and slice both into pieces of similar thickness. Set aside a few whole slices for garnishing the plates.
  3. If using dried porcini: soak them in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Reserve the soaking water — strain it through a fine cloth and add it to your broth for extra depth of flavour.
  4. Step 2 — Cook the mushrooms separately
  5. In a wide pan, heat the olive oil with one small garlic clove over medium-high heat. Add the sliced porcini and cook without stirring for the first two minutes — let them develop a golden colour. Season with salt and pepper, cook for a further 5–6 minutes, then remove from heat. Scatter with chopped parsley and set aside, keeping a few slices reserved for the final garnish.
  6. Step 3 — Toast the rice
  7. In a heavy-bottomed pot or wide casserole, toast the rice completely dry over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about 2–3 minutes. The grains will turn slightly translucent at the edges — this is what you want. Remove the rice and set aside. In the same pot, melt half the butter and gently soften the onion over low heat for about 8 minutes, until sweet and translucent but not coloured.
  8. Step 4 — Build the risotto
  9. Return the toasted rice to the pot with the onion. Stir to coat the grains in the butter. Pour in the white wine and stir until the alcohol has fully evaporated. Begin adding the hot broth, one ladle at a time, stirring frequently and waiting until each addition is almost fully absorbed before adding the next. This gradual process coaxes the starch from the rice and creates the classic creamy texture.
  10. Step 5 — Add the mushrooms
  11. Halfway through cooking (after about 10 minutes), add the cooked porcini to the risotto. Stir gently to combine and continue cooking, adding broth as needed, for a further 8–10 minutes. The rice should be al dente — tender but with a slight bite at the centre.
  12. Step 6 — Mantecare (the final stir)
  13. This is the most important step. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the remaining cold butter — cold butter is essential, as the temperature contrast creates a creamy emulsion — and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Stir vigorously for a full minute until the risotto is glossy, creamy, and flows slowly when you tilt the pot. Let it rest for 30 seconds.
  14. Step 7 — Serve immediately
  15. Spoon the risotto into warm plates. Top each serving with the reserved porcini slices and a final grating of Parmigiano. Serve at once — risotto waits for no one.

Notes

NONNA’S NOTES
🍄 Can’t find fresh porcini? Dried porcini work beautifully. Use 40g, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes. Add the strained soaking liquid to your broth — it intensifies the forest flavour remarkably.
🍚 Always use Carnaroli rice for risotto. Its high starch content and firm grain give the best creamy texture. Arborio is a good substitute if Carnaroli is unavailable.
🧈 Cold butter matters. The temperature contrast between the hot risotto and the cold butter is what creates the creamy, glossy finish Italians call all’onda — flowing like a wave.
🏔️ In the Dolomites, we sometimes add a small ladle of the mushroom soaking water to the broth. Fiore says it makes the whole valley come into the pot.

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