Parmesan Mushroom Risotto

My husband and I had our first Christmas just the two of us this year, and we really wanted to make it special by cooking a delicious dinner.

Originally we thought of making a turkey, but we just had all of that at Thanksgiving and while yes – it is amazing – we opted to make it a steak night (my choice was filet mignon… yum!).

Tom was in charge of the steaks, but that left the big question: what kind of side should we do? It didn’t take long to decide on.

Let me explain…

See, we got married back in October (2014) at Disney World, and while we were there, we went for dinner at Epcot in the Canada Pavilion area at their very popular  steakhouse, Le Cellier.

If you haven’t been to Le Cellier or to Epcot in general it is a must!!

Now, this is a steakhouse so it’s a bit on the pricey side, but it’s totally worth it…

Just make sure you bring an appetite when you go, the portions are large and extremely rich. (FYI – right off the bat when you sit down they bring you warm pretzel bread with maple butter. De-lish!)

And they have drinks that light up! I mean… come on!

So I ordered there Filet Mignon and let me tell you – absolutely the best steak I’ve ever had in my life! It was perfectly cooked and seasoned laid upon a bed of parmesan mushroom risotto with a truffle cream sauce that was to die for.

Not the best picture quality – the lighting was dim, which set the mood of the unique restaurant, but that didn’t make for good pictures.

So back to our Christmas Eve dinner… We needed a side for our steak, right?

Well, we thought it would be fun to try and recreate that mouthwatering mushroom risotto from Le Cellier.

This recipe is so flavorful and was such a treat… You will not be disappointed 🙂

Parmesan Mushroom Risotto Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
2 pounds mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bella mushrooms)
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tbsp. parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

1. Heat broth over medium heat in a large saucepan. Set aside.
2. In a separate, large nonstick skillet, heat on high and add mushrooms to the pan.
3. Stir as the mushrooms cook down. Turn heat down to medium-high and continue to stir for 1-2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with salt and continue to cook until the mushrooms are browned and all juices are absorbed.
5. Take mushrooms out of the pan and set aside.
6. In the same pan, reduce heat to medium and add 1 tbsp. olive oil.
7. Add shallots to pan and cook about 1 minute.
8. Add (dry) rice and stir to coat with olive oil, then cook for about 2 minutes.
9. Pour in wine and stir until all liquid is fully absorbed.
10. Turn heat up to medium heat and start to add broth using a measuring cup. Add one cup of broth at a time, stirring until all liquid is absorbed before adding another cup. (This will take about 15-20 minutes.)
11. After the rice is al dente, turn off the heat and add mushrooms, butter, parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.
12. Stir to combine all added ingredients… And enjoy!

Adapted from: Good Dinner Mom