Cooking with Love

Seafood and mushroom risotto

Don't be intimidated by risotto. All it needs is your undivided attention. Prepare your workspace. Measure the liquids, take out everything you need, including having enough aborio rice. If you don't have any, use regular rice or any other rice except BROWN rice.

You will need:

2 1/2 cups fish broth, clam juice, or any other broth or just plain water (heated up in saucepan), set aside

1/3 cup olive oil, divided

1 stick unsalted butter, divided

1+ 1/3 cup aborio rice (OR all purpose white rice)

1/2 cup white wine

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt/pepper to taste

1 TBS brandy

6 oz baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

1 lb frozen seafood mix. I used combo of calamari, shrimp, and octopus. (Defrosted, rinsed and drained) set aside

Directions:

Warm up broth in saucepan, leave on burner, on low.

In large wok, pour 2 TBS of olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and sliced mushrooms. Stir until soft and fragrant. Add salt and pepper to taste. Push aside in wok to one side. Add rice with 1 TBS olive oil and 1 TBS butter. Toast until all kernals are coated with oil/, butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the wine and combine the rice with the mushrooms and onions. When wine has evaporated, slowly add heated broth, a cup at a time. (This should be cooked on medium heat.)

This is the work - stir, stir and stir some more. When liquid is absorbed, add another cup of broth. At this time, add the drained seafood mix to pan to join the risotto clan.

Continue doing this until all the broth is used. Taste the rice mixture for doneness. It should be creamy and tender.

Remove from heat. Fold in garlic, brandy and parsley.

Add 2 more TBS of butter to blend into the risotto.

Serve immediately..... delicious!

Serves 4