Vegetarian Mushroom Risotto

My husband LOVES risotto. I mean, he really, really loves my risotto. I cannot remember the first time I made it, but after he had it, he looked at me like I was a five-star chef. And you know the best thing? It is really, really easy to make. Risotto sounds really fancy and hard to make, but it is not. I am not a trained chef, and I think I make a good risotto. One of my favorites to make is my mushroom risotto. I thought I would share my recipe for you today!

One thing you should know is that risotto does take a lot of care and a decent amount of time. I would say you need to block out about 30-45 minutes of cooking time, where you are actively in the kitchen stirring the rice. This is not a "put in the oven and walk away" type of meal. But, if you take the time to make it, the payoff is worth the care.

I am a vegetarian, so I make a vegetarian version of risotto using vegetable broth. If you are not a vegetarian, and you prefer chicken or beef broth, feel free to substitute. Also, if you are not a fan of onions, garlic, or mushrooms, use another ingredient you enjoy, like asparagus.

This recipe makes about 2-4 people's portion. I cooked this exact recipe for my husband and I, and we managed to eat it all. I should mention one more time, however, how much my husband loves this recipe. I think this portion could feed four people. If your family eats like us, then I would suggest doubling the recipe.






Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 tsp olive oil or oil of choice. You can also use butter.
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice. I buy mine from the bulk section at Whole Foods. You can usually find it cheap in the bulk areas of grocery stores, or in containers by the rice area. You must use a short-grain rice, and arborio is the rice of choice for risotto. I do have another recipe using forbidden rice, but that takes a lot longer. I may have to post that recipe later.
• 2-2.5 cups vegetable broth (or broth of choice). 
• 8 oz of mushrooms. I usually use local button mushrooms, but any mushroom should work
• 1.5-2 cups of cheese. Parmesan cheese is great, so is any Italian cheese. For this recipe I used some goat cheese and a seasonal melting cheese from Whole Foods.
• Salt and Pepper to taste.
• Italian herbs of choice. I used oregano and parsley.

Directions:

1. Dice and cut up all vegetables. Finely chop garlic. Dice Onion, and slice up the mushrooms. I like my mushrooms to be a bit meaty, so I don't chop them up too fine.
2. Put a large saute pan on medium heat, and add some olive oil. Put the garlic and onion and brown for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Put the rice in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the rice is golden brown.
4. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Once the liquid is absorbed, keep adding small increments of the broth until rice is cooked. If you run out of broth, feel free to use water or get more broth. My rice was cooked in about 30 minutes. Constantly stir so the rice does not get stuck or burned, and to ensure the rice cooks evenly.
5. While the rice is cooking, add the mushrooms to a separate pan, and cook with oil or choice. Not much oil is required. Cook the mushrooms down until tender and set aside until the rice is cooked.
6. If you have time, grate the cheese if needed. I forgot this step, so I asked my husband to grate since I was overseeing the rice and mushrooms. If you are cooking alone, I would suggest doing this when you cut and dice your vegetables.
7. Once the rice is cooked, I would add a little bit of water, maybe 1/8 cup, to make sure the rice is not too clumpy and thick.
8. Stir in the cheese, one small handful at a time. Let the cheese melt and then add some more. If the mixture gets too thick, add water or milk to thin out.
9. Lastly, add the mushrooms and stir. Make sure it is well combined. Add the salt and pepper, and any other Italian herbs you want. 
10. Eat it up!

This recipe is really not hard, and it is fulling and delicious. I hope you enjoy. God bless.