Wild Mushroom Risotto

Do you have a go to dish that you always good when company is coming over...or when you just want something a little more special? Well mine is risotto. I know a lot of people don't really like making it as you do have to watch it and stir it a lot..unlike conventional rice that you have just put boiling and leave it alone. This recipe is one of my favourites....i love earthy mushrooms and try to get a variety of them when making this dish! Good Parmesan Reggiano is also a MUST for a great Risotto!

Grab yourself a nice variety of mushrooms. I have some Shitake, Oyster and Cremini mushrooms here. Chop and set aside. You should have between 1-2 cups of chopped mushrooms.

Mince 1 small onion and 2 garlic cloves.

At this point I also prep my fresh herbs. My regular Thyme has already died off in my garden, however, I have an abundance on Lemon Thyme. I used about 1 tsp fresh Lemon Thyme...set this aside for later too.

On one of your stove burners have a pot of chicken broth simmering. You will need the hot broth throughout the cooking process

In a large deep saucepan over medium high heat melt 2 Tbsp butter. Add the onions and saute

Once the onions become translucent add the garlic and cook for about one minute or until fragrant. Now add your rice. This recipe serves 4-5 people with only 1.5cups of rice! Please use Arborio Rice. This is a very important ingredient as there are starches in Arborio rice that when cooked slowly, make the creamy texture that makes risotto so famously amazing. Once you add the rice you want to stir it around, being careful to not let it burn, but to start to lightly toast. You will hear it crackling. That's when you know its time to add the liquid!

Add 1 cup of white wine to the rice.

Quickly add your mushrooms. Stir around until most of the wine has evaporated. At this point I usually lower the head a bit to medium.

Season your risotto with a little salt and pepper and start adding your broth one ladle full at a time until the mixture becomes "loose" but not soupy. You want to keep this consistency throughout the cooking process, as once the starches from the rice start to work their magic, the liquid will thicken and become nice and creamy.

Keep adding broth when needed and stirring...this process takes about 20 minutes. You don't need to be vigorous with your stirring...just make sure that the rice is not sticking and that the mixture stays 'loose'.

You can add your fresh herbs towards the end of the cooking process. Once the mixture starts looking creamy, try a bit of the rice. It should be like pasta and served slightly al dente, but not crunchy. keep on adding broth and stirring until your risotto has the right texture and consistency.

Once the rice is cooked add 1/2 cup of freshly grated good quality Parmesan Reggiano cheese and 2 tbsp of butter.

Mix thoroughly off the heat...perfectly creamy risotto.

Serve as a side with Protein or just on its own. Enjoy your weekend!