Mushroom pastina

Name: Mushroom pastina
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Risoni pasta (orzo pasta) 11.5 oz; Dried mushrooms porcini 0.4 oz; Sage 0.4 oz; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Water 8 ½ cups; Yellow onions 1; Carrots 1; Dried mushrooms porcini 0.3 oz; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz; Butter 3 ½ tbsp

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Average

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PRESENTATION

Mushroom pastina starts with one deliberate choice: risoni, a small, elongated pasta shaped almost exactly like a grain of rice, cooked the way you'd cook a risotto. Hot homemade vegetable broth goes in gradually, a ladleful at a time, while dried porcini work from two directions at once — simmering in the pan and infusing the broth itself — so the pasta absorbs deep mushroom flavor as it releases its starch into the liquid.

That starch is what gives the dish its defining quality: a soft, velvety consistency that feels nothing like ordinary broth pasta. The final step is mantecatura — vigorously stirring cold butter and Parmigiano into the hot pan off the heat — which pulls everything into a creamy, cohesive finish.

INGREDIENTS

Risoni pasta (orzo pasta) 11.5 oz (320 g)

Dried mushrooms 0.4 oz (10 g) - porcini

Sage 0.4 oz (10 g)

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Fine salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

For the broth: Water 8 ½ cups (2 l); Yellow onions 1; Carrots 1; Dried mushrooms 0.3 oz (6 g) - porcini

For finishing: Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz (50 g); Butter 3 ½ tbsp (50 g)

Preparation

How to prepare Mushroom pastina

To prepare the mushroom pastina, start with the broth: cut the carrot into large pieces, there’s no need to remove the skin or the top 1, then do the same with the peeled onion 2. Put the vegetables into a pot with cold water 3.

Add the dried mushrooms and bring to the heat for about ten minutes 4. Meanwhile, soak the other dried porcini in a bowl of water 5. In a saucepan, heat the oil and add the risoni 6.

Scent with sage 7 and toast the pastina as if it were a risotto, stirring for one minute 8. Moisten with a ladleful of broth at a time, always waiting for the liquid to be absorbed before adding more 9.

Season with salt 10. Now drain the mushrooms and chop them with a knife 11, then add them to the risoni about halfway through cooking 12.

At the end of cooking add pepper 13 and mix well, taking care to leave the texture slightly brothy 14. With the heat off, finish with butter and grated Parmigiano Reggiano 15.