Homage to Porridge

A food memory about a special place serving up delicious porridge dishes in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark

In order to properly share my fondness for porridge, I’d like to transport you to Copenhagen, Denmark, if just for a few minutes. Let’s take a short walk through the Nørrebro neighborhood to one of my favorite restaurants, GRØD. (I promise this won’t be one of those ‘skip to recipe’ kind of stories that have nothing to do with anything.)

Along the way to GRØD, we’ll probably see hundreds of cyclists — they outnumber the cars, by far

First, we’ll head just a little way down Nørrebrogade to visit the inspiring Superkilen Park, a globally-inspired community space:

“Rather than plastering the urban area with Danish designs we decided to gather the local intelligence and global experience to create a display of global urban best practice comprising the best that each of the 60 different cultures and countries have to offer when it comes to urban furniture,” said BIG project leader Nanna Gyldholm Møller.

We’ll make a quick pit-stop at the park to run around and play like children

Before we eat, let’s stop for a quick beer at Mikkeller & Friends off of Nørrebroparken. It’s a small space but they seem to have hundreds of bars on tap and many beers for sale in beautifully designed bottles and cans.

Meet the Mikkeller “mascots”, Henry and Sally

After our adventure in Nørrebro, we’re getting pretty hungry. We finally arrive at GRØD and order delicious bowls of steaming porridge. The environment is comforting (hyggelig, you might say), with an open table just for us.

The chicken congee is delicious, with lots of fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts, and sesame oil.

I hope you enjoyed this little journey through a small part of Copenhagen where my partner Ryan and I lived for 1 wonderful month in 2019.

Okay, here’s the recipe:

Mushroom Risotto with Pickled Mushrooms, Parmesan and Fresh Parsley

From the GRØD cookbook • For 4 people • Savory

The mushroom risotto is a heavyweight in the world of risotto. And rightfully so. The deep taste of umami from the roasted mushrooms, combined with the sweet/sour and fresh topping feels like an explosion of taste. Pure pleasure and happiness.

A photo of the GRØD cookbook, or the “e-book” I made for myself so I can enjoy Risotto on the road

Here is the recipe typed out with a rough translation for the silly folks like those of us in the U.S. who don’t use the metric system. I recommend making the pickled and pureed mushrooms before starting on the risotto, and starting on the fried mushrooms when the risotto is almost ready. Happy cooking!

Risotto
1 banana shallot
1 clove of garlic
300 g risotto rice (about 1.5–2 cups, check the rice packaging)
2 tbsp olive oil
30 g butter (about 2 tbsp)
1-liter of water, vegetable, or chicken stock (33.8 oz)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I like using something like a Pino Gris)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
125 g roughly shredded parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
Parsley (fresh, if possible)

Finely chop the banana shallot and garlic and put into a pot with olive oil and butter. Sauté on low heat until the onions are tender and translucent. Pour the stock into a separate pot and let it simmer over low heat. Add the rice to the onions and fry at medium temperature. Keep stirring until the butter has been absorbed. Add white wine and let it reduce. Keep adding about 1/2 cup of boiling stock every time the stock has reduced. Stir frequently. Add the fried mushrooms and mushroom puree to the risotto when there is about 1/2 cup stock left and let it reduce. Add the parmesan cheese to the risotto when it is still liquid. Season with salt and cider vinegar and serve instantly.

Fried Mushrooms
100 g chanterelle (about 3.5 oz)
1 tbsp olive oil
10 g butter (1 scant tbsp)

Rinse the chanterelles. Heat a pan with oil and butter and fry the mushrooms until they have become golden brown. Put aside for later.

Mushroom Puree
200 g mushrooms (about 7 oz) (I used baby bella)
15 g butter (about 1.5 tbsp)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup cream (I use heavy whipping cream or savory cooking cream)

Rinse the mushrooms. Heat a pan with oil and butter and fry the mushrooms until they are golden brown. Blend the mushrooms with cream using a hand blender or in a food processor. Put aside for later.

Pickled Mushrooms
100 g ceps (porcini, about 3.5 oz) (I used sliced shitake)
1 cup household vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Rinse the ceps. Boil vinegar, sugar, and water in a pot. Add the ceps when all the sugar is dissolved and boil it for 5 min. Put ceps and the pickle (liquid) in an airtight container. (It should be good for 2–3 weeks in the fridge)

Toppings
1/4 bundle of parsley
Black pepper

Serve
Serve the risotto in soup plates or bowls. Top it with a tbsp of pickled mushrooms, a handful of chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper.

My note: Cook this slowly while listening to great music with a glass of wine (or another favorite beverage). Share with people you love. Enjoy!