Mushroom Risotto

I've always wanted to try making risotto, even though it's never been a favorite of mine in Italian restaurants.  I think I've only ordered it once and that was over 20 years ago now.  I had some mushrooms I had to use and had a box of arborio rice.  I ordered the rice in panic pandemic mode to support local restaurants.  I decided this was the time to try it.  I based mine on this recipe.  

• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, heated
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• 1 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb white and cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 & 3/4 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
• Fresh Italian parsley, chopped for garnish

Really, you have to get mise en place done first.  Everything needs to be lined up and ready to go as you're going to be a slave to stirring.  In a saucepan over medium heat, bring chicken broth to a simmer. Reduce heat to low.

In a Dutch oven, heat a little olive oil over med-high heat. 

Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter, garlic, mushrooms, bay leaf and thyme. Cook until the mushrooms have softened and are golden, about 4 more minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Remove mixture from the pot and discard bay leaf.

Add a swirl of olive oil in the pot.  

Mix in the arborio rice, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon. Cook until the grains are well-coated and smell slightly toasty, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until the wine has mostly absorbed.

With a ladle, add about 1 cup hot broth. Stirring almost consistently, cook until the rice has mostly absorbed liquid. Add remaining broth about 1 cup at a time, continuing to allow the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. Cook until the risotto is al dente and creamy which takes about a half hour total.  Don't walk away!

Add the mushroom mixture back into the rice.  Stir in Parmesan and butter.  Serve,  garnished with parsley and more Parmesan.  

I'm not sure why I didn't like risotto before except maybe the carb coma?  I mean, this was amazing.  The rice was cooked perfectly, el dente and not mushy at all.  The flavor and seasoning were all spot on, equal and nothing over powering.  Creamy and dreamy.  You have to use real cheese from a block.  Pre-shredded or worse the powder crap would ruin the entire effort.  The cheese is so key to this dish.  YUM.  Something to remember for next carb crave.  Perfect rainy day for it too.