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. :)