Mushroom Risotto, 2 meals ideas in 1

Risotto is basically Italian arborio rice. It has an unusual cooking process, than regular short or long grain rice. The first time I made this dish, I was very frustrated because I felt like the rice was not cooking fast enough and I kept having to add so much water. On this second try, I followed Tyler Florence's recipe, and it came out just perfect. There were a few omissions from the original recipe, but overall, we loved the way it came out. Here's how I made our mushroom risotto.

1 cup arborio rice

4 cups vegetable stock, packaged or soak 2 large vegetable buillion cubes in 4 cups boiling water

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic paste

1 pound baby bella mushrooms

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Green chives for garnish

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pot. Sautee the onions first until translucent. Add 1/2 tsp garlic paste and sautee that for about 30 seconds.

2. Next, add the butter and sliced mushrooms. Mix well. Add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Sautee the mushrooms for about 6 minutes. Remove the mushrooms into a separate bowl to cool.

3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in now empty pot. Sautee the onions and garlic as in Step 1.

4. To the onions and garlic, add the rice and continuously stir for 1 minute until all of the rice grains are glossy and covered with oil. Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock and stir until all of the water is evaporated.

5. Continue to add 1 cup at a time until all of the water is evaporated.

6. Now, add the sauteed mushrooms and parmesan cheese. Stir for one minute until the cheese is melted. Serve hot, garnished with snips of garlic chives or freshly chopped parsley.

Second option/meal: With the leftovers, we divided one red bell pepper in half, ribbed and deseeded it, then stuffed with the mushroom risotto. Bake for about 30 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This risotto is a must try. It tasted so delicious. Now that I have the recipe down, I will definitely try different variations, possibly adding spinach next time. Another version could be butternut squash. I think the possibilities are endless. That is exactly why it is going on my list of favorites!