Yes, it’s labor intensive. However, it is definitely worth the work. Risotto has everything: taste, texture, aroma and it makes its own sauce. You can make it as a side dish for nearly anything or serve it as a hearty one dish meal. Best of all risotto is great for experimenting. In the recipe below simply substitute any two or three ingredients for the steak and mushrooms, change the broth if needed and you have a brand new dish. For example, use chicken broth with chicken, pine nuts and spinach for chicken risotto.

The secret to risotto is to add just enough broth to cover the rice and wait until it is completely absorbed before adding more. As it cooks, the starch in the rice will form a rich creamy sauce that will bind the dish together. As you go, you will need to taste it to make sure the rice is cooked through yet remains firm (al denté).
Try it and let me know what you think.

You can find the photo Cookumentary for this recipe here.

Ingredients
½ lb. steak cut into bite-sized cubes
2 tbsp. butter
½ cup white wine
1 cup arborio (or other short grain risotto rice)
1 tbsp. ricotta cheese
8 ozs. sliced mushrooms
1 clove of thinly sliced garlic
1 diced shallot
1 tbsp. olive oil
? cup grated paremsan cheese

Recipe
1) Sauté mushrooms in a little olive oil until tender. Set aside.
2) Cook steak in a little olive oil to desired doneness. Set aside.
3) Bring 32 ozs. of beef broth to a simmer.
4) Sweat shallots and garlic in olive oil until shallots are translucent and garlic is tender.
5) Add rice and stir, Make sure the rice is completely coated with oil. Continue stirring until the rice is translucent and the center is white.
6) Add wine and stir until it is completely absorbed.
7) Add enough of the hot broth to cover the rice.
8) Stir until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth to cover rice and stirring until rice is al denté.
9) Stir in mushrooms, steak, parmesan and ricotta.