Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Risotto

Inventing recipes today!

First, ingredients:

2 large onions

1 shallot

1 lb mushrooms

1/4 c. white wine

2 c. arborio rice

4-6 c. chicken broth

salt

5 cloves garlic

1/2 c. parmesan

1/2 c. gruyere

fresh basil

olive oil

butter

First, slice and caramelize your onions in 2 T of olive oil and 1 T butter. (this takes forever. FOREVER. Be patient. Low heat for 40 minutes, stirring frequently. Just do it. This is not speed cooking.)

 

While your onions are caramelizing, slice your shallot and mushrooms.

And your garlic, basil and shred your cheeses.

When your onions are mostly soft and golden and nummy, add your mushrooms and shallot. Stir. Don't worry, it's supposed to smell like ass. It'll get better. Just continue with the patience thing. (This part takes 20 minutes or so.)

See the lovely onions?

Here is where the ass-smell is the worst. Just stir. Don't panic.

Now, see this color? This is where the smell does away and suddenly you remember that you can eat this. :D

Put your onion goo in a bowl. Add a touch of olive oil to your pan with your garlic. Cook and stir nice and low until your garlic is cooked, but not brown (if you burn your garlic, chop more. Burned garlic tastes like bad pecans. You can't fix it.)

While the garlic is cooking, warm up your broth.

Add your rice to the pan and stir. We're toasting here (sort of like in the 70s when every meal included Rice-a-Roni. You remember the toasting part? No? Shame, I do. I was fascinating.) Basically, heat and stir. And stir. And stir. When the rice is more clear than white, you're toasted.

Add about 1/4 c of wine. Pour yourself a glass while you stir. You're at the stove from this point, you might as well drink...

When the wine is gone, add a ladle of broth, then stir.

Then do it again.

And again.

Basically, you add broth one ladle at a time until the rice is cooked. It took me 5 cups. Sometimes it only takes 4. Once it took 6. Rice is fickle. Just remember to keep stirring.

 

Then? Add the mushroom/onion goo.

Stir until the liquid's gone (this doesn't take long) and turn off the stove. Add your basil.

Then your cheese.

Then a pat of butter (this is important -- it creates whoa-yumminess).

Ta-da! Risotto