Exotic Mushroom Risotto

If you are looking for a great side dish for a "meaty" dish, how about a risotto? Risotto can be a little time consuming but it's worth every minute of it. It's very versatile. You can add almost anything to it to change the flavor. The other day, my cousin came to visit and we made Swordfish Steaks (will be another blog post later) and he never had risotto. So we planned on that. While in the store, I saw an Exotic Mushroom Blend in the mushroom section and decided we would make Exotic Mushroom Risotto! Risotto will usually take about 20 minutes to make and you only add a little stock at a time. So it does require a little attention. But for ingredients, you can change them to your liking or what you have in the garden.


Exotic Mushroom Risotto
Serves 8
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 25 min

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbls Butter
• 1 Medium Shallot, chopped
• 1 1/2 C Arborio Rice
• 8 oz Exotic Mushroom Blend (or any kind you like)
• 1/2 C White Wine
• 4 C Chicken Stock

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter.
2. Add Shallots, saute stirring frequently until they become transluscent.
3. Add Arborio Rice, stir frequently for a few minutes. Don't let rice brown. It will turn a different shade of white.
4. Add Mushrooms, then White Wine.Reduce heat to a simmer.
5. When wine is mostly absorbed with the wine, add Chicken Stock a ladle at a time, letting the stock absorb into the rice between ladles. 
6. Once the last of the stock is added, taste to see if rice is tender. Once Stock is just about absorbed, add salt and pepper to taste and serve. Rice should be a little creamy. 

For a video of this process, check out my Youtube Video