Champagne and Mushroom Risotto

I simply love the days when I have a little time and am feeling creative in the kitchen. I love puttering around the kitchen, it's one of my favourite things to do. Especially since the result is often something delicious to enjoy with my friends and family.

This week, I was doing my thing and exploring my pantry when I realized I had a bag of Arborio rice that I bought a little while ago. It was a rainy evening- perfect for a delicious dish of risotto. 

I found I had a few types of mushrooms and some parmesan so I was all set to create a comforting dish when I realized I was out of white wine and needed some to liven up the flavours. I made a substitution and came out with a recipe I will definitely repeat and hope that you try in your own kitchens.

Enjoy!

Mushroom and Champagne Risotto

Preparation time: 10 minutes Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups of Arborio rice

3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup of water

200 milliliters of champagne or sparkling wine

1 small onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 tablespoons of butter

½ teaspoon of chili flakes

1 portobello mushroom cap, chopped

10-12 white mushrooms, chopped

2 tablespoons of fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped

salt to taste

grated parmesan to garnish

Method:

Step One Heat the stock and water in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer

Step Two In another pan, heat the butter on low-medium heat

Step Three Add the onions and cook until opaque. Then add the garlic and chili flakes

Step Four Add the rice, stirring to coat all the grains with the melted butter and onion mixture

Step Five When the rice has toasted slightly, add the champagne and stir until the alcohol evaporates

Step Six Add a ladle of the simmering stock to the pan and continue to stir the risotto. Keep adding stock and stirring until about half of the stock has been added to the risotto

Step Seven Add half of the chopped mushrooms to the risotto and continue to add the stock, ladle by ladle until it has all been incorporated

Step Eight Just before you add the last few ladles of broth, add the remaining mushrooms and salt to taste

Step Nine Garnish with grated parmesan and parsley and serve immediately 

Bon Appetite! If you try this savoury risotto at home, I'd love to hear about it. Please leave me a comment below!