Mushroom Risotto

Last night I made some mushroom risotto. It always seems to be a popular appetizer in restaurants on TV. Everyone here loved it. Colt, who doesn't like rice, thought it was good. It isn't a hard dish to make but does require a lot of attention.

Ingredients

1 cup arborio rice

2 tbs butter divided

1 onion chopped

1 tsp of garlic powder or fresh garlic

1/2 cup white wine at room temp

3 cups of hot chicken broth

1/2 cup grated parmesan, asiago or peccorino romano

fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms(porcini or button)

I start by putting the broth in a stock pot with onion, celery and carrots. I bring it up to a simmer and let it be for a while. I need it to be hot when making risotto. On medium high heat saute the rice in 1 tbs of butter, stirring constantly. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is tender. Add the wine and saute until all of the liquid is absorbed.

Slowly add 1 cup of broth, stirring frequently , as it cooks down, add the broth 1/2 cup at a time until all of the broth is absorbed. Add the mushrooms halfway thru adding the broth. Next fold in the rest of the butter, pepper and cheese. I then serve it with some left over cheese and a parsley sprig or two.