Splash of Chardonnay: a Cremini Risotto

Ahh how I love-hate this dish. It seems so simple, only requiring patience and rice. But no matter how many times I have changed recipes and looked around for technique alternatives (risotto is one of those dishes in which you cannot free-ball the quantities, a notion not so close to my heart), it always either ended up soggy or the rice remained crunchy. Until today. Dum Dum Dum. Actually, not so much, I still think it could be creamier!? BUT, in hindsight, I get to correct my mistake in this article and take you along for the proper steps. So here they are.

You will need,

Cremini mushrooms (1 pack)

Olive oil (a lot, plan about 1/4 cup)

Garlic (4 cloves, minced)

Arborio rice (1 1/2 cups)

Chardonnay (or whichever white wine, 1/2 cup)

Parmesan (I usually throw pinches in as I cook and then use some for garnish, so just under a cup- also get the shavings! Petals!?)

Truffle oil (a few drops, only if you have the bottle laying around- I don't use it tons, but when I do I can really taste the difference!)

Shallots (2, thinly sliced)

Sat and pepper (to season the mushrooms, then all-throughout)

Butter (2-3 tbsp, depending on your taste)

Chicken broth (around 4 cups, warm- but to be fair I needed closer to 6 as the rice refused to fully cook! So prepare more aside)

A few easy steps (caution: patience required),

1. In a large pot over medium-heat, sautée the mushrooms with the olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper (most recipes instruct you to set them aside after a few minutes, however I love to leave them in the pot the entire time, I like how they absorb all the flavours!)

2. Add butter and, when melted, throw in the shallots and stir until they are soft, browning them

3. Add rice and stir for 1 minute

4. Pour the white wine and stir until it is absorbed

5. You'll want to add the broth in increments of 1/4 cups, and let the rice absorb it every time, while you keep stirring

6. You should start seeing that creamy consistency after about 20 minutes, however in my case I still found the rice to be quite hard, so I added 2 cups of broth (past the 4 cups) and kept stirring for a few added minutes- it could have been my rice or the fact that I used both a different wine and broth than last time, as long as you adjust you're in the clear

7. Add truffle oil and Parmesan (I personally like to throw in pinches a few times as it cooks and mix every few minutes)

8. Top with shavings and pepper and serve (extra points if you serve it with a glass of the wine you use to coat the rice!)