Recipe: White truffle risotto with cauliflower

Make this dish when wild mushrooms become available at your local farmers' market. The greater the variety of mushrooms, the more flavour your risotto will have -- each mushroom adds its own complex flavor, aroma and color. In the restaurant, we use foraged wild mushrooms. While in Italy, I had the opportunity to purchase a beautiful Italian white truffle, so I jumped at it.

Ingredients
- 3⁄4 cup unsalted butter, divided
- 5 cups wild mushrooms (such as oyster or shiitake), thinly sliced
- 3 cups small cauliflower florets
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 1⁄4 cup diced pancetta
- 11⁄2 cups Arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups hot Chicken Stock (see recipe, page 297), divided
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Shaved fresh white truffle (as much as you can afford), or 2 tsp white truffle oil

Directions
1 In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, cauliflower, a pinch of salt and a splash of water; sauté until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms appear dry, about 15 minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to a plate and set aside.

2 In the same skillet, melt 2 tbsp of the butter over medium heat. Add shallots and pancetta; sauté until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in rice until well coated (do not let brown). Stir in wine and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1⁄2 cup stock and cook, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed before adding more. It will take about 20 minutes to incorporate all the liquid.

3 Stir in mushroom mixture and cook until vegetables are tender and rice is creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining butter, cheese, parsley and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand for 2 minutes.

4 Ladle risotto into warm bowls and garnish with shaved truffle or drizzle with truffle oil.

SERVES 4

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Excerpted from Earth to Table by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann Copyright © 2009 by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann. Photographs Copyright © 2009 by Edward Pond. Excerpted by permission of Random House Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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