Mushroom Risotto

I used to think risotto was this dish that was super tricky to get right and took a ton of effort to make. It still takes a bit more time actively watching it on the stove but when I finally cooked it for the first time I realized its incredibly easy as long as you are paying attention to it.

Ingredients

2 cups arborio rice

6 cups mushroom stock (or chicken or beef or really any kind of stock works here)

1 cup white wine

2 shallots, finely diced

12 oz. shiitake mushrooms (or chanterelle or oyster or really whatever kind you like), chopped into small pieces

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1-inch long pieces

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Fresh parsley (or thyme or whatever fresh herb you like)

Parmiggiano or pecorino Romano to top the risotto (1/4 cup?)

1 lemon, juiced

Recipe

1. Add the stock and wine to a sauce pan, and bring set the heat to the lowest setting. You want the stock to be warm when you incorporate it with the rice but it doesn't need to be boiling or anything

2. Melt 3 Tbsp. of butter in a stainless steel skillet over medium-low heat. Saute the mushrooms and asparagus for 8 minutes or so, until mostly cooked, then transfer to a bowl or plate and set aside

3. Melt the remaining 3 Tbsp. of butter in the same pan, and add the diced shallots along with a pinch of salt to draw out the moisture. Saute until they turn translucent and have given up a bit of moisture

4. Add the rice to the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to coat with some of the butter, and increase the heat to medium

5. Little by little, incorporate the stock/wine mixture into the rice. I usually use a ladle to spoon a bit at a time until the rice is just barely covered by a layer of stock. This is the part where you need to be watching it constantly, and stirring well as the rice cooks. It will probably take 20-30 minutes to do this step. Over time, the rice will soak up the stock and whenever you see the stock starting to diminish in quantity, add another ladle's worth to the pan until you've incorporated all the stock and the mixture has thickened quite a bit. The rice should definitely be cooked at this point, though you want it to be al dente. Keep the rice on the heat until you reach the level of doneness that you like

6. Add back in the asparagus and mushrooms and stir to combine, let sit on the heat for maybe another minute

7. Kill the heat and add parsley, cheese, and lemon juice as well as salt/pepper to taste