Risotto with leeks, shiitake mushrooms and truffles

Wow!

It has been a long time since I've written a post! How the time flies!

I suppose that for my first post of 2013 I should write something extra special.. and since valentine's day is just around the corner, I am going to share my go to recipe for a special occasion. I got this recipe from Epicurious.com and I have made it at least 5 times and every time it has been a huge hit. My boyfriend loves this recipe, and we usually serve this risotto with shrimp or fish, white wine and a side salad.

Ingredients

Leeks:

• 2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved, thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)

• 3/4 cup whipping cream

Mushrooms:

• 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cut into 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick slices

• 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced lengthwise

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon white truffle oil

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Risotto:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 5 cups (or more) hot vegetable broth

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 teaspoons shaved or chopped black truffle (optional)

• Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

For leeks:
Bring leeks and cream to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until leeks are tender and cream is thick, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before continuing.

For mushrooms:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss all ingredients on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until mushrooms are tender and light brown around edges, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

For risotto:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup hot broth. Simmer until broth is almost absorbed, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add more broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes longer. Stir in leek mixture, mushroom mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, and truffle. Transfer to large bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve. 

*We don't use the black truffles at the end because black truffles are uber expensive. But we do use white truffle oil we found at Whole Food's and that works just fine for us. 

For the shrimp, we simply season it with salt, garlic, onion and black pepper on a skillet with olive oil. After it is cooked, we turn the heat on high and pour some blue agave syrup to sear the shrimp and give it a caramelized flavor. Fish we have served with this risotto are tilapia and lemon sole. Any light flavored white fish will go great with this risotto. 

I will not be making this meal for Valentine's Day, but I will be making something special! Stay tuned for pictures and a recipe of my romantic Valentine's Day meal (on a budget). I will also post pictures and a recipe for homemade treats I will be making my boyfriend as a gift this week! 

xoxo