Mushroom Risotto

I have yet another confession to make: I love Gordon Ramsay. I love watching his shows, I love reading his recipes, I love watching him cook...plus, he's not not so hard on the eyes and he has a British accent. All of that sums up to a pretty massive crush. The good thing is that my husband loves his attitude and his brash, straight-to-the-point way of going about business and helping others succeed in the food industry.



After years and years of watching him and reading about his recipes, I've started to realize that one of his favorite dishes to serve is risotto. When we were watching one of his shows the other day, my husband asked if I have ever made a risotto. My answer was a quick and embarrassing, "No." Throughout all of these years, I've been so intimidated by this dish. I have seen so many chefs try to prepare this for Chef Ramsay only to see him toss it all the way across a kitchen or spit it out. I have read up on risotto and came across horror stories and tales of spending too much time in the kitchen trying to prepare the dish.



Last night, I realized that I had to conquer my fears. I researched traditional risotto recipes and came across one that peaked my interest because it involved a ton of mushrooms (my other love). I poured myself a glass of wine to calm the nerves and got to work preparing a mushroom risotto. After about 20 minutes of stirring, I added the finishing touches and sat there staring down the rice in the pan. The whole mixture looked and smelled delicious but for some reason I was incredibly nervous to try it...obviously, the wine had not kicked in yet.



I took a spoon out of the drawer, dug in, and...wow. I fell in love with yet another food...Mushroom Risotto. I also fell in love with the act of making this dish. Even though it takes 20 minutes to prepare, trust me, it's worth it. The whole act of stirring is very relaxing. Just pour yourself a glass of wine and stir, stir, stir.



So, there you have it. I love Chef Ramsay, mushrooms, Mushroom Risotto, and making Mushroom Risotto. I can't wait to have leftovers for dinner tonight.



Mushroom Risotto



Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound sliced Portobello Mushrooms
1 pound sliced white mushrooms
2 shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

Warm the chicken broth in a saucepan over low heat.
Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft (about 3 minutes). Remove the mushrooms and the liquid and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the large saucepan and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. 
Add rice to the shallots, stirring to coat the rice with oil. When the rice starts to turn a pale, golden yellow, add the wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.
Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice and stir until the broth is absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup of broth and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding 1/2 cup broth to the rice and stir constantly until the broth is absorbed. Repeat this action until the rice is al dente (about 15 to 20 minutes).
Remove the rice from the heat and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper (to taste).
* Recipe slightly adapted from All Recipes

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