creamy mushroom parmesan risotto

My buddy Cole makes the best damn risotto. It's a dish that always kind of intimidated me, so I'm happy to say that I am no longer scared to make it since braving it with him! Really, the key to this recipe is USE ALL THE MUSHROOMS. This is a RICH recipe and can probably feed 4-6 hungry friends. To get it just right, we referenced two recipes for risotto research, one from allrecipes and the other from Tyler Florence on food network.

You need:
1 package fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 package fresh portabella, chopped
1 package fresh white button mushrooms, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
6-7 cloves of garlic, diced
1 shallot, diced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup aborio rice
1/2 dry white wine
3-4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp fresh chopped chives
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste




Do this: Warm the broth in a saucepan on the stove. Saute the mushrooms in a pan with some of the olive oil, cook them until they are soft (about 3-4 minutes) and set them aside in a bowl for later use.
In a larger pan or skillet (sometimes we even use a wok!) heat the rest of the oil and saute the shallots and garlic for one or two minutes. Add the rice and stir, coating with the oil and cooking/stirring until it gets a rich, golden color. Add the wine to the pan and stir it in until the wine is absorbed. Add a half a cup of broth and stir in until absorbed- continue to repeat this process until the broth is used up. Once the rice is al dente, add the butter, chives, most of the parmesan, salt & pepper, and, of course, the mushrooms. Top with a little parmesan and parsley.

We made a badass garlic bread too. Simply a nice sourdough with butter, chopped fresh garlic, and a little herbed cheese in the oven for a few minutes. It went so well with the risotto I forgot to count calories... haha.