I discovered Bulgur in the Netherlands when I was grocery shopping in a Turkish deli. Since I’ve never seen it nor heard of it in Italy I immediately decided to buy it.
I then did some research online to find out how it’s usually cooked. I discovered that it’s actually pretty similar to cous-cous. It’s wheat just like pasta so I first cooked it with summer vegetables and herbs and it quickly became one of my favorite summer dishes.
Bulgur can be found in different variaties of sizes and I bought the coarser grind called pilavlık bulgur. It’s just a tad smaller than rice, so I thought “hey! Maybe I can do a risotto with it.. A Bulgur-otto!” which sounds silly but it came out pretty delicious.
It can’t turn out as creamy as risotto simply because Bulgur doesn’t have as much starch as Risotto rice (Carnaroli). But with the addition of a few tablespoons of cream it just came out creamy enough for me to love it.
How to use dried Porcini Mushrooms
In Italy Porcini mushrooms are really common. There is the perfect climate for them to grow in the many woods areas we have.
In winter, when fresh Porcini aren’t available, we use a lot of the dried ones. The texture is very different but they’re still very flavorful. The only negative side is that you cannot use them in all the variety of dishes like fresh Porcini, like fried or on a bruschetta. Also because the dried ones are thinly cut so you can only use them minced.
If you cannot find fresh Porcini mushrooms, you should be able to find dried ones either in your supermarket or in an Italian Deli.
To revive, they only need to soak in very hot water for 10-15 minutes. They will be then soft enough to be chopped and cooked.
The Recipe
Creamy Bulgur Risotto with Porcini mushrooms
Ingredients
- 170 g (3/4 cup) Bulgur
- 1 Garlic clove
- 20 g (3/4 oz.) Dried Porcini mushrooms – or 100g (3 1/2 oz) of Fresh mushrooms
- 350 ml (1 1/2 cup) Vegetable Stock
- 4 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1/2 glass White Wine
- 2 tbsp Parmigiano cheese grated
- Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Butter
- Parsley
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside until they become soft, about 10-15 minutes.
- Drain the mushrooms from the water and squeeze them to remove the liquid in excess. Don't throw away the water.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and add the halved garlic clove. Finely chop the mushrooms and add them in the pot together with the Bulgur.
- Stir with a wooden spoon and after a minute pour the white wine and let it evaporate completely.
- Now add half cup of hot stock to the Bulgur, stir frequently and when the liquid is completely absorbed, add half cup of the mushrooms water, then add more stock. Add more stock until the Bulgur is cooked (about 15 minutes).
- Turn off the heat and add the chopped parsley, a knob of butter, the cream and the Parmigiano cheese. Season with salt and black pepper if needed. Stir well and serve.
Did you make this?
I’d love to see it!
Take a photo and tag @jess.cookingmydreams on Instagram and use the hashtag #cookingmydreams
No Comments