Mushroom Risotto

The Night Before Christmas goes something like.."the children were tucked all snug in their beds, with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads." I awoke Sunday morning, not with visions of sugarplums, but with a list of Christmas cooking "to-dos" dancing in my head. I used the morning dog walk to organize my plan of attack. I try to bring a few different dishes with me when we go to Michigan, so that I always have something safe to eat, and can just heat something up quicky, rather than have family figure out how to feed me.

My list for the day included: a batch of granola bars, roasted applesauce, roast chicken, quinoa, and a simple mushroom risotto to take along as a side dish for Christmas dinner. I know that risotto isn't *quite* as good leftover, but it's still darned tasty, and I wanted to make something different than the usual container of wild rice I've brought home the last couple holidays.

Everyone seems to be impressed when you serve risotto at a dinner party...the real secret is that it's not difficult at all to make, it just takes a dedicated half hour at the stove, stirring the rice frequently, and adding the broth bit by bit. But the resulting dish is a creamy, comforting meal that is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Pair the risotto with a nice green salad, and you've got dinner.

Mushroom Risotto
Serves 4 as a main course
8 Weight Watchers points per serving

1 1/4 cup aborio rice
3/4 c white wine
5 cups mushroom broth or chicken stock
2 T Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion, diced
3 cups mushrooms, sliced
salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp dried thyme
handful of chopped parsley
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

1. Warm the broth in a covered pan, and maintain temperature at a bare simmer throughout the cooking process.
   
   
2. Slice the mushrooms. Heat large, non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 T olive oil. When skillet is hot, add mushrooms – cook the mushrooms in one layer, cooking in small batches if necessary, and sauté until tender, about 6-10 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper as you cook. Set mushrooms aside in a bowl.
   
   
3. Heat 1 T of the olive oil on medium heat in the same large non-stick skillet. Add garlic and onions, sauté for 30 seconds. Add rice and stir frequently until rice is coated with oil, about 2 minutes. Pour in the white wine, and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Continue cooking, and add broth in 1 cup intervals, while stirring until absorbed. Season with Salt and pepper as the risotto cooks. It will take about 30 minutes to cook the risotto. You may have a little broth left over when the risotto is tender and finished, or if you run out of broth, simply add a bit of hot water to finish cooking, until rice is done.
   
   
4. When the risotto is finished, add the mushrooms, chopped parsley and parmesan cheese, stir until the mushrooms are heated through & serve!