Mushroom Ristotto, Take Two

Mushroom Risotto with Parsley and Roasted Pecans

I am trying to perfect my mushroom risotto. My mother and I love the mushroom risotto at one of our favorite local restaurants and we have been trying to copy it since. I made another attempt last night. It was fabulous, although a little different from my last attempt. Warning, this recipe makes enough for about 6-8 people (or four people and 3 leftover meals). You can cut it in half to make a smaller amount. Here's the recipe:


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped, minced, or sliced (personal preference). A mix of mushrooms is usually best. We used a combination of porcini, oyster, and crimini. Make sure that at least half of your mushrooms are very flavorful.
• 1/3 cups shallots, minced
• 1 3/4 cups arborio rice
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 5-6 cups stock (your choice, I used a vegetable with a mushroom base, but you can also use any other vegetable or chicken or a mix)
• white pepper and salt, to taste
• 3/4 tablespoon whipped butter (you can omit this if desired and add slightly more cheese)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (although you can add more or less based on how creamy you want it)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped roasted nuts

Directions

• Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms

• When the mushrooms are beginning to brown, add the second tablespoon of olive oil and the shallots and garlic.
• When the shallots are soft, add the arborio rice to the pan and mix the rice into the mushrooms. Cook until the rice is becoming translucent. In a separate pot or in the microwave, warm the broth. If the rice begins to brown, start adding liquid immediately.

• When the rice is translucent (or has begun to brown) add the white wine.

• When the rice has soaked up the white wine, begin to add the warmed broth 1/2 a cup at a time. Season with white pepper and salt every second addition of broth. Wait until the first half cup has soaked up the previous half cup.

• By the time the rice is done, it should be soft and have soaked up at least 5 cups of broth.
• Then, add the little bit of butter and stir it in. This should make the rice creamier.
• Once this is stirred in, add the Parmesan cheese. Stir in.
• Serve the rice hot and sprinkle the

I really enjoyed it.

On another note, I wanted to make some bread recently, but it's about 109 degrees here, so most of my cooking has to be done on the stovetop so it does not heat up the house too much.