Mushroom & Kale Risotto

I just have to put this out there.... Gordon Ramsey is my idol.  He's good looking and a great chef!  

Kidding, but risotto always reminds me of Gordon Ramsey because he always yells at people for over/under cooking it.  If you don't know who Gordon Ramsey is, he's an amazing chef.  And  you don't ever want to mess up risotto or scallops and serve it to him. 

Anyway, the first time I tried risotto was at Dukes in Hawaii and it was pretty amazing, but I really didn't see what the big deal was.  It wasn't the absolute best thing I've ever eaten, but it was good.  So I went about my business, never really curious. Then... last month, Nick's sister, Rachel, brought us out to a restaurant and I ordered a kale and mushroom risotto and it was amazing.  I had to recreate this dish.  Since I had to buy kale for my last recipe, I decided that Valentines Day was the perfect day to try tackling risotto.  There is always Papa Murphy's heart shaped pizza in case anything goes wrong. 

It was awesome! I ate way too much because it was so delicious, but it was the perfect Valentines Day dinner.  Nick and I sat by the stove, stirring our risotto, drinking our wine, and chatting away until it was complete.  One of my favorite parts about dinner is cooking it with my husband.  We make a night of it and have so much fun.  And then he cleans up, which makes it even better.  This was a perfect Valentines Day dinner AND, we have chocolate ice cream for dessert!!!

Mushroom & Kale Risotto

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

6 cups of vegetable broth, divided

3 tbs olive oil, divided

16 oz of assorted mushrooms (I used baby bella, shitake, crimini, and oyster)

3 cups chopped kale

1 shallot, dices

6 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (I got mine from Trader Joe's)

1/2 cup dry white wine (Chardonnay)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs butter

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons chives, chopped

Directions:

In a sauce pot, warm the broth over medium-low heat. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add chopped kale and cook until green and wilted, about another minute. Remove mushrooms and kale, and set aside. 

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallot and garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.