Shrimp and Cremini Mushroom Risotto

I love risotto, but I had never made it until last night. Everything went well, from start to finish the dish took about an hour to prepare. To begin, I sauteed some onioins in butter and then added the risotto and a little dry white wine. After all of the wine was absorbed, I slowly added chicken stock. Unlike regular rice, you cook risotto uncovered and need to stir frequently. In a separate pan I sautteed the cremini mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil and garlic until the mushrooms were golden brown, adding a little fresh thyme at the end. When the mushrooms were finished I took them out of the pan and set them aside. In the same pan, I added a little more olive oil, a little more garlic, and the shrimp. I satueed everything for a few minuets, adding about 1/4c white wine at the very end. When the risotto had absorbed all of the broth, I combined the mushrooms and shrimp with the rice. To finish the dish I added fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese (the best part!).

The risotto was creamy and delicious. The perfect dinner for a cold Wednesday in December. I'll definitely be making this again, although I'll probably play with the ingridients. Risotto is rich, but it's a good source of carbs and iron. I'm starting to train for some races again, so this dish will easily fuel some of those longer runs. :)

New Blog!

Hey everyone,

With my new job, I have  more free time (another reason why I love the World Bank). Therefore, I'm going to try and do much more cooking and baking in 2011. Look for posts on all of the yummy things I'm cooking and eating in the new year. I go with the philosopy "cooking is an art" and "baking is a science". Therefore, I probably wont post detailed recipes on things I cook, unless requested. Baking, however, is more exact and I will try and post more precise descriptions.

Here is to a happy and healthy new year!

Jessica