I think in another life I would be a Chef. I just LOOOVE to cook. Cooking to me is so rewarding because not only do you get to enjoy the food, but so do others. If I find a dish I like a restaurant I immediately try to make it myself at home.

Well I am going to share a recipe I made last night that was probably the best dish I have cooked. Blackened Tilapia over a wild mushroom risotto with a shrimp cream sauce..

Is your mouth watering yet? : )

I had this dish(but with grouper) at a local restaurant and I loved it and I knew Drew would too. This was my first time making risotto and I was kinda scared, bc i have heard how hard it is. Well it turned out perfect. I think cooking risotto just takes patience : )  It was tricky trying to get the timing right on all three of these recipes, but you just cant freak out in the kitchen haha.

So first, you need to start making the risotto. This recipe makes a lot fyi!

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients(Inspiration from this recipe)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic (I used minced)
1 to 1/2 lb of assorted fresh mushrooms chopped ( I used portobello and cremini)
1 cup of dried porcini mushrooms (soak in 3 cups of Hot Water)
1/2 medium white onion chopped
2 shallots chopped
2 cups of Arborio rice(this is actually rice pasta!)
2 cups of dry white wine
6 cups of Hot Chicken Stock
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parm
salt

Directions

1. Put dried porcini mushrooms in 3 cups of hot water and set aside
2. Put Chicken Stock in pot and heat up
3. coat a large skillet generously with EVOO and add the garlic. Bring to medium-high heat. When the garlic cloves begin to brown (do not burn) add the chopped mushrooms. Season with salt and you may need to add a bit more EVOO. Cook until they are soft and pliable and set aside.
4. With a slotted spoon remove the dried porcini mushrooms out of the water and place in food processor. Reserve the top 2/3 of mushroom water and set aside. Discard the rest of the water, because this will have dirt and grim from the mushrooms. Pure the porcini mushrooms with a little of the reserved water to make a paste. set aside
5. Coat a large pan abundantly with EVOO. Add the onions and cook on medium -high heat until they are colorless. Add the rice and stir to coat with olive oil. Cook the rice for 2-3 min to toast, stir frequently. Add the Wine to cover the rice and stir frequently until it is absorbed. Add the reserve mushroom water from the porcini mushrooms still stirring frequently. Add 2 cups of chicken stock, stir until absorbed. Add 2 more cups of chicken stock and keep stirring. Add the last 2 cups of chicken stock and add the chopped wild mushrooms and half of the mushroom paste. Keep stirring until all of the liquid is absorbed. It may look like a lot of liquid, but the rice will absorb it all. (I started the shrimp sauce while the water is absorbing)
6. Remove from heat and add the 2 tbsp of butter. You can add the cheese at this point as well, I chose to omit the cheese bc it was good without it. Serve immediately!

Shrimp Herb Cream Sauce (From Giadas Penne Pasta Recipe)

Ingredients
1/4 cup of EVOO
1 1lb of Medium Shrimp
4 cloves of Garlic
1/2 tsp of Salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1 (15oz can) of Whole Tomatoes (Drained and chopped)
1/2 cup of chopped fresh Basil
1/2 cup of chopped fresh flat parsley
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 cup of white wine
1/3 cup clam juice
3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup of grated parm

Directions
1. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until shrimp is pink. (takes a few min) Set aside the cooked shrimp
2. In the same pan, add the tomatoes, Basil, parsley and red pepper. Cook for 2 min stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice and heavy cream. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 7-8 min. (until it thickens)
3. Add the cheese and the shrimp and let set for a few min on low heat. (I also added a few seared scallops to the mixture)

*Great thing about this sauce is that it makes quite a bit, so you can serve some over fish like I did and save the rest for pasta the next day

Fish

Plating
1. Put Wild Mushroom Risotto in the middle of the plate (kinda like a risotto cake)
2. Place Fish on top
3. Pour Shrimp Sauce on top

and ENJOY!

happy cooking! XOXO