Mushroom Risotto

I never make risotto and I never order it at a restaurant. But when I have a bite of someone else's risotto I LOVE IT! So strange. A lot of people scare away from making it because it's a little more labor intensive than most rice and pasta dishes. But I found the process to actually be not very laborious and dare I say fun? Especially when you have farmer's market mushrooms to add to it! I will definitely be making risotto more often now. And such a perfect side dish to any meat!

4 cups chicken broth

A bunch of different types of mushrooms, sliced

3 TBSP butter

1 TBSP olive oil

1 shallot, chopped fine

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine (I used pinot grigio)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 TBSP fresh chives, chopped

Salt and Pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken broth on a low simmer. Keep it on the entire time.

In a larger saucepan, melt 1 TBSP butter. Add the mushrooms (with a little salt and pepper) and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Pour the cooked mushrooms into a bowl and set aside.

In the same saucepan that you just used for the mushrooms, add the olive oil, shallot and garlic. Stir on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the arborio rice and stir for another 2 minutes. Add the white wine and stir until the wine is absorbed.

Slowly incorporate the chicken broth into the rice, one ladle at a time. Ladle one "scoop" of broth into the rice, stir it until the broth is absorbed, then repeat. Continue to do this until there is no broth left. The rice should be creamy and al dente to the taste.

Take the risotto off the heat and stir in the mushrooms, 2 TBSP butter, parmesan cheese, chives, and a drizzle of good olive oil. Add more salt and pepper to taste.