Red Wine Risotto with Caramelized Mushrooms

I've basically gone insane. Like, who stands over a hot stove for 30+ minutes to make risotto (a typically fall/winter comfort food) in the dead heat of summer. Obviously the answer is me, but still, who does that? I was craving something hearty, maybe to pretend that it's not 114 degrees for the second week in a row. I love to ignore reality, clearly. So, in the middle of summer I in fact stood over my stove to make this incredibly rich risotto for you. And you know, what? It worked. We curled up on the couch to finish watching Season 3 OITNB (what kind of ending was that anyway?) and just vegged out. Now, I don't expect you to do the same until the temperatures drop at least below 70 degrees, but if you are feeling adventurous, or delusional like me, I promise it's worth it.

Red Wine Risotto with Caramelized Mushrooms 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 1/4 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 3-4 cups vegetable stock
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a medium skillet, heath 1 tbsp. of butter over medium heat and add in the sliced mushrooms, cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes until caramelized. remove from the heat once they are soft and fragrant.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1tbsp. butter and olive oil together in a medium to large pot over medium heat. Once they are melted together, add in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the rice and stir, coating the rice in the butter and oil, stirring and toasting for 3-4 minutes. 

Add in the wine and stir every minute or so, if not constantly, until the wine has been absorbed into the rice. Once the wine is absorbed, add in the broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring until absorbed before adding more. After 3 cups have been added and absorbed, try a bite of rice to check the texture. If you would like them softer, add the remaining cup of broth.The entire process took me about 25 minutes until all of the broth was absorbed and the rice was tender.

After the rice has absorbed all of the liquid, add in the parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt. Stir, combining the cheese and serve hot, topped with the caramelized mushrooms.