Valentines Day Risotto!

Not going to lie, I cooked an awesome dinner for my boyfriend last night. Kept it simple on the fake holiday but still gave into it, you know. For the special occasion I wanted to be a little fancy smancy. I went with some carb deliciousness, as always.

Believe it or not it was my first time making risotto. (WHAT?!) Yes, I know, it's so hard to believe. I've always been nervous to make risotto because you have to constantly tend to it. I'm the type who will start cooking, then start checking my email, then start plucking my eyebrows, and come back to a burnt dish. (oh crap...) This dish made me focus and stay in the kitchen. Oh, and it was worth it. Here's what you need to make it happen:

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup diced onion
1 pound Portobello mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 cup Arborio rice
2 cups vegetable broth (I'll give you my recipe for veggie broth in just a minute)
2 cups water
1/2 cup mascarpone or grated Parmesan cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese to top it off

Here's how you get down with it:

1. Cook the onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until soft. Stir in the garlic and rosemary and cook a couple minutes. Meanwhile, clean up the portobellos and dice them into 1/2-inch pieces. Turn up the heat and saute the mushrooms with the onions. Set the mushroom/onion mixture aside for a hot minute.

2. Add a couple more tablespoons olive oil to the pot and stir in the rice until it is translucent. Then start adding the veggie broth half a cup at a time. Stir well and adjust your burner so the broth simmers. Each time the broth cooks down to a thick sauce, stir in another half cup. When all the broth is gone, add the water.

3. When the rice is close to done, 15 minutes or so, stir in the mushroom/onion mixture and keep adding water until the rice is done.

4. When the rice is done, stir in the mascarpone or Parmesan. Salt and pepper the risotto to taste. Serve with grated Parmesan on the side to keep the cheese party going.