This recipe was part of the Food Fight: Desperation Dinner Challenge which ended Mar 31, 2008 05:00 PM. See winners »

• 1.5 cups Aburrio Rice, rinsed
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/2 Chopped Onion (though shallots are better)
• 1/2 Cup white wine
• Grated parmesan cheese
• 8 Oz Dried Porcini Mushrooms, re-constituted
• 8 Oz Dried Shitake Mushrooms, re-constituted
• 1/3 Cup Chopped Almonds, Toasted

1. Put the rice in a bowl and pour water in. Drain the water and do it again a few times to get all the rice dust off. Set aside.
2. Bring broth to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer.
3. On high heat, melt butter in a large, deep frying pan and add the onion (or shallots). Cook for 4 or 5 min until onion is soft.
4. Add the drained rice to pan and stir so the butter can coat the rice. Two minutes.
5. Add the white wine (optional, but recommended) and cook on high until the alcohol has burned off – about 2-3 min. Then turn heat to low-medium.
6. Add broth 1/3 cup (or so, no need to measure) at a time and continue stirring.
7. Add the mushrooms to the rice mixture and stir them in.
8. In the meantime, add mushrooms to a large bowl of hot water and let it reconstitute. Take mushrooms out, drain them, and chop them into about one inch chunks. Pour about 1.5 cups of the mushroom water into the sauce pan with the broth.
9. In the meantime #2, take chopped almonds and toast them in a frying pan, constantly moving them around until lightly browned. Brown to taste. :-)
10. When the rice is tender, turn heat to the lowest setting and stir in the cheese.
11. Scoop the risotto onto the plate and sprinkle some toasted almonds on top. Eat.