The First of (Hopefully) Many Up-coming Cooking Night

I love risotto. Who doesn't?! It's creamy, smooth and flavoursome and it is full of CARBS. I have always thought of it as a gourmet "restaurant food" that would be hard to reproduce at home. But with the help of allrecipe.com and my darling friend Crystal I made my first attempt of the dish.
And it was delicious! It really is not as difficult to make as I imagined. It requires a bit of patience and time because you have to be prepared to stand by the stove top for at least 20 minutes while you constantly stir the rice until you get the desired firmness and texture. I would strongly recommend cooking this with a friend - it just makes everything so much more fun don't you think?
It is a very versatile dish as well. Sprinkle freshly chopped herbs and Parmesan cheese at the end and stir in whatever you feel like - seafood, chicken, sausages, grilled / roasted vegetables, lemon zest + lemon juice, etc.
NB: Some reviews recommend using 1 whole cup of dry white wine and adding garlic with the shallots to enrich the flavours. I'll definitely try that next time.

Gourmet Mushroom Risotto

6 cups of chicken stock/beef stock/vegetable stock
Thinly sliced mushrooms
2 shallots, diced
1.5 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 TBSP finely chopped chives
2 TBSP butter (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1) In a saucepan, warm the stock over low heat
2) Add olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, saute until soft. Remove mushrooms and their liquid. Set aside.
3) Add olive oil to skillet and stir in shallots. Cook for 1 minute. Add in rice and stir until coated with oil for about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken a pale golden colour, pour in wine. Stir constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add in 1/2 cup warm stock to the rice and keep stirring to allow stock to be absorbed. Continue adding stock to the rice, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir constantly until the rice is al dente. May take 20-30 minutes.
4) Remove from heat. Stir in mushrooms with their liquid, chives and butter if desired. Season with cracked pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.