Mushroom risotto

Here's one of my favorite dishes. I made this a lot while I was in Italy and although it can be time consuming, it is well worth it. Again, there is room to play around with the recipe and make it your own. I'm hoping to be able to give you more pictures like this post rather than just the finished dish picture, but it depends on if I am meaning to post the recipe to the blog or I just randomly cook and decide it would be great to post.

First thing: rice. There's MANY types of rice. Here's some common ones: (left to right) plain basmati long grain rice, Arborio rice (Italian short grain rice), and (short grain) brown rice.
I always use the Arborio rice for risotto. Arborio rice is a lot more starchy than regular rice and gives the risotto the creamy aspect. It can also absorb a lot more liquid than regular rice without getting mushy. That's why it's so ideal for risotto.

I cut the recipe in half from what I made because chances are that you won't need to make as much as I did unless you are feeding more than 3 people.
1 c rice (your choice, but like I said, I always use Arborio)
3- 3 1/2 c hot vegetable or chicken stock
1 T oil
1/4-1/2 large white onion
2 t chopped garlic (less if fresh)
1- 1 1/2 T white wine vinegar
1 1/2- 2 c diced mushrooms (again, your choice)
1 1/2 t black pepper
1/3 c heavy whipping cream (you can substitute with 2% or low fat milk, though it will be less creamy)
2 T butter or margarine
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese.


First, chop up the onions and cook them with the oil and garlic until they are slightly clear over a medium-high heat.
Then add the rice. Mix around so that all the rice is covered with the oil. Cook for about 7 minutes or until the rice has gotten clear around the edges, stirring the entire time. Add the butter and then add one cup of the stock. Let the rice absorb the stock and wait until the stock is almost gone before adding another cup. Keep stirring the entire time and continue this process until you use all of the stock or until you check the rice and it's done enough for you. Arborio rice is always a little more al dente than regular rice, so if it's a little harder than what you're used to, don't worry.

Add in the vinegar, mushrooms and black pepper, stir. Turn the heat down to medium. Let the mushrooms cook about halfway done (3ish minutes) and then slowly add the cream and parmesan cheese. Mix until everything is well together and the mushrooms are completely cooked.
Then you're done! You can add parsley or Italian seasonings as a garnish, or even fresh vegetables. We used fresh steamed broccoli.