Mushroom Risotto (nasty looking this time but so good)

This risotto was made with a very dark mushroom broth so it kind of looks like poop in the photos...hell, it looked like poop when I was making it. I know, gross. For a better look you might think about using a very light colored veggie broth instead; this will keep things looking tasty. Risotto is fairly labor intensive as you have to stand over it and stir in the liquid as it cooks in. So make sure that you don't have any previous engagements planned for the week and please, drink responsibly.

Let's begin:

So we're looking at:

4 Cups Broth, plus 1 1/2 cups water

1 Small Onion, diced

1 Clove Garlic, crushed

1/2 Cup dried shitake mushrooms

1/2-1 lb. white button mushrooms
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 Tbs. butter
Juice of 1 lemon
Some fresh herb, like parsley or chives
Milk?? I don't know why milk is in this picture; sometimes I'll use cream towards the end but didn't this time around. Don't use milk.
And don't add candle wax...it will make you sick.

So...First set the four cups broth on the stove to simmer; we want this to be hot when we start adding it to the rice, otherwise it will cool things down and it would take hours to cook. Also hydrate the dried shitake mushrooms in about 1/2 cup boiling water for about 10 to 15 minutes. When these are hydrated, drain and add the squeezings to the simmering broth. In the mean time...

Drink some of the wine and have a good time. Then melt some butter in a large pot and in a frying pan; fry half of the diced onion in the frying pan for a few minutes then set the now chopped button mushrooms on to cook with the onion and the garlic. They should release all of their juices all of a sudden.  And then their juices will evaporate away. This is the stage we're looking for.

As this is all happening the other half of the onion is being fried in the butter in the large pot. After a few minutes add the rice. After a minute or two more...

Add the wine. Cover and allow to simmer for about five minutes, or until the wine has been absorbed into the rice. Then....

We start adding the hot broth in 1/2 cup increments, stirring constantly between additions until each has been almost completely absorbed by the rice. Beware, this is a long process and will test your will; be prepared to have a lackey or two take over after about 10 minutes so you can go huddle in a corner and submit to the horror of it all. And if you picked a really dark broth for this dish you might get something that looks like...

This. Yeah, eww. Keep stirring and adding broth as it gets absorbed. After about 15 minutes add the mushrooms (all the mushrooms). You will then have...little improvement. Still eww. Stir in the last of the butter (about 1 Tbs.) and some cream if you like (up to 1/2 cup). Season with salt and pepper and serve with a nice salad. Garnish with parsley or chives or whatever, if you're so inclined.

It might look icky but like I said, it's really tasty.