Mushroom Risotto

I love to make risottos, because it makes me feel like such a chef. They're actually not very difficult. They can be a bit time consuming, but basically, if you can stand in the kitchen and stir rice around in a pan, you can make risotto.

Mushrooms - 2 packages (I used cremini and shitake), cleaned, stemmed, and chopped

Olive Oil - 3 turns around the pan

Garlic - 2 large cloves, chopped

Arborio Rice* - 1 cup

White Wine - 2 cups of whatever you have in the fridge

Hot Water - 2 cups

Parmesan Cheese - 1/2 cup, grated

Fresh Thyme - 2 to 3 sprigs, leaved removed from stems

Black Truffle Oil** - 1 to 2 tsp (optional)

Salt and Pepper - to taste

*You can almost always find arborio rice in your grocery store in the aisle with all the other rice. I've never tried to make risotto with any other kind of rice, but my understanding is that you need the starch from the arborio rice to give the risotto its texture. The starch will release as you're stirring and give the risotto a wonderful creamy texture.

**I recently found a small bottle of truffle oil in the aisle with the olive oil at Wegman's. It was a little expensive, but worth the investment. If you've never tasted a truffle before, you haven't lived! Adding truffle oil to your recipes will add a strong, rich, almost buttery flavor that I bet you'll love.

Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add rice and garlic and saute until rice is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add more oil if necessary to keep rice from sticking. Add 1 cup of wine. Simmer, stirring constantly, until wine is absorbed. Repeat with second cup of wine, and then water, one cup at a time. Add thyme, cheese, and truffle oil, if using. Taste, and add salt and pepper as necessary. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes more to combine flavors and melt cheese. Serves 4.

I served this risotto with a side salad of arugula tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.