Mushroom Asparagus Risotto

I used to be kind of scared of risotto.  I always thought of it as this difficult dish that required a lot of time and skill.  In actuality, risotto is pretty simple and forgiving.  Assuming you don't forget a major ingredient or step, you should be fine even with a few mishaps.  The good thing about risotto is that as long as you get the consistency right, everything gels together nicely.  Plus it's generally a one-pot dish.  Two big pluses in my book.

We really like this dish (adapted from my Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook)...the flavors are awesome.  Of course you can experiment if you don't like mushrooms (what's wrong with you though?!) and/or asparagus.  Again, consistency of the risotto is the key.

Mushroom Asparagus Risotto

5-6 cups vegetable broth
3 Tb. oil (I used safflower)
1/4 cup butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (portabellos work good)
1-1/2 cups asparagus, chopped into 1 in. pieces
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup shallots (or the white parts of green onions), chopped
1 cup Arborio rice, uncooked
1/3 cup white wine (you could just use vegetable broth, but the wine really makes the flavors pop)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese*

In large saucepan add the veggie broth, cover and keep warm over LOW heat.  In a large saute pan over medium heat add 1 Tb. oil and 1 Tb. butter.  Add mushrooms and asparagus and saute until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt/pepper, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.  Next, using that same large saute pan, heat remaining oil and butter and add garlic, onions and shallots and saute for a few minutes until soft.  Add the rice and stir until combined.  Add the wine and stir until wine is absorbed.  Now start adding the warm broth, 1/2 cup at a time**, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next.  Stir pretty consistently and continue adding broth until rice is creamy...takes about 30 minutes.  Stir in mushrooms and asparagus and Parmesan cheese.  It should be a nice creamy pot of goodness.

Tips:
* I think the quality of Parmesan used in this recipe is key.  For my portion, I stirred in a good vegan parmesan "cheese."  For Matt's portion I used freshly shredded Parmesan from the cheese counter at Whole Foods.  The better the cheese, the more creamy your risotto.
** It's important to add the broth slowly, waiting until each addition is fully absorbed before adding the next.  The rice needs to absorb the liquid a little at a time.
*** Risotto is great because once you have mastered the technique, you can do so much with it.  If you want meat in your dish, you could add some chopped cooked chicken, but I promise you won't miss it if you don't:)