Brown Rice and Mushroom Risotto

There's a reason I haven't written a post about risotto yet. It's a good reason -- logical, persuasive, and hard to argue against. The fact is, as much as I love to photograph food, I seem to be unable to take an appealing photo of risotto.

And that's why the photo above is a picture of cheese, and not the actual dish. It's because when I take pictures of risotto, it's inevitably while I'm cooking the rice, under the gross dim-yet-fleurescent lights above my stove. It's also inevitably evening, without a ray of natural light to be found.

And the final reason that I somehow never manage to photograph risotto properly is because it inevitably gets eaten within *minutes* of coming off the stovetop because, well, risotto is delicious.

So if you're looking for an upscale version of a comfort food, definitely give this a try (pictures or no, you can imagine how good it tastes)!

Brown Rice and Mushroom Risotto

INGREDIENTS

4 cups mushroom stock (substitute vegetable stock if necessary)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups short-grain brown rice

1 shallot, minced

1/2 stick butter, cut into pieces

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 pound shitake mushrooms

DIRECTIONS

Over medium heat, toast rice in olive oil, stirring constantly until all the rice is coated. Toast for 1 minute, or until grains are aromatic. Add 1 cup of mushroom stick and the shallot and turn the heat down to a simmer.

Over the next hour, stir the risotto frequently and add more stock every time the liquid doesn't cover the rice. Add the mushrooms after about 40 minutes. The rice will puff as they cook, taste them until they're tender but still a little nutty (about 1 hour). When the rice are done, remove from heat, stir in the butter and parmesan, and serve.

Serves 6.