Tried my hand at risotto for the first time tonight. I am not exaggerating when I say that this dish is restaurant-quality. This one's optimal for dinner parties -- it's a bit labor intensive (about 50 minutes of constant supervision and grunt work) but your rewards will be bountiful and delicious.

Adapted from allrecipes.

Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 lb portobello mushrooms, slicked thin
1/2 lb white mushrooms, sliced thin
2 shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped chives
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

In a saucepan, warm the 6 cups of chicken broth over medium heat. Careful not to allow it to boil, but keep it hot.

In another, large saucepan, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir in the mushrooms. Cook down until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and the liquid and se these aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the saucepan, then stir in the shallots. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the arborio rice, folding with the oil to coat and incorporate with the shallots, about 2 minutes. Once the rice has begun to turn color (should be a gold color), pour in the wine and stir constantly until the wine has been absorbed. Next add 1/2 cup of the warmed broth to the rice, and stir until the broth absorbs. Repeat this process, adding broth by 1/2 cups, until the liquid is all absorbed and the rice is thickened and al dente.

Remove the risotto from the heat, and stir in the mushrooms and liquid, the butter (by tablespoon), the chives and the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.