Seasonal Menu: Halloween Special with Risotto and Cabbage Apple Seasonal Salad

Prepare a special meal for Halloween! Chef Francesco Lucatorto teaches us how to make Porcini Risotto with Cabbage Apple Seasonal Salad. Risotto remains the most important staple dish for many people in all Northern Italy, and especially in Milan. It's a delicious porridge rice, and a delicious one at that!

INGREDIENTS (for 2-3 people)

• 6 cups of vegetable stock or vegetable stock cube
• ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 50 grams of dry porcini
• 2 shallots
• 1 garlic clove whole not peeled
• 1  cup (200g) Carnaroli rice
• 1 tablespoon of dry parsley or 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley
• ½ cup dry white wine *not included in kit
• sea salt *not included in kit
• freshly ground black pepper *not included in kit
• 4 tablespoons butter *not included in kit
• Coarse salt *not included in kit

Tools for Risotto:

• Medium size saucepan
• Large size pan
• A wooden spoon for stirring
• A ladle for adding broth to the rice in stages
• Small bowl for soaking the porcini
• Grader
• Chopping board
• Chef’s knife
• Stove

Cabbage & Apple Seasonal Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Greenen cabbage
• Two Fuji Apples

Dressing

• 1 spoon White wine vinegar
• ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 spoon Lemon Juice
• 1 pinch of salt *not included in kit
• Pepper (as needed) *not included in kit

Tools for Salad:

• Salad Bowl
• Cutting board and chef’s knife
• A small bowl for the vinaigrette

About Chef Francesco Lucatorto:

Chef was born in Genova, the world capital of focaccia. After studying the Culinary Arts in Italy (ALMA) he joined 2 Michelin star restaurant Providence under Chef Micheal Cimarusti. He soon began exploring the LA food scene, working for Terroni, Officine Brera, Otium, followed by the opening of Sixth+Mill Pizzeria and most recently Osteria Angelini. His passion for food brought him to discover the beauty of baking, kneading and proofing dough. This coupled with his Ligurian roots resulted in an obsession for focaccia.

About the Dish

Risotto remains the most important staple dish for many people in all Northern Italy, and especially in Milan. It's a delicious porridge rice, and a delicious one at that! Short-grained rice that has a lot of a particular sort of starch is key for a proper risotto. It sloughs off as you stir and stir the rice, making your risotto creamy with no cream at all. Porcini mushrooms infuse this risotto with tons of flavor! 

Porcini mushrooms were very popular in Ancient Rome and aristocrats devoured loads of them at their feasts. They liked mushrooms so much that they called it “food of the gods” and even crafted laws prohibiting commoners from eating them. However, given that some mushrooms can be deadly, the Romans took care not to poison themselves by hiring experienced mushrooms foragers and daring food tasters to assure that the fungal bounty was safe to eat. Bon Apetit!