For the love of...cheese (and risotto)

We should probably just get this out in the open now. I adore cheese...and milk, and butter, and cream. Really, all things dairy put a spring in my step. Unfortunately, they also put inches on my waist and make me sad when I shop for jeans, so I have to control it. Kind of like my love of deep fried anything. I've been told I'm hiding a fat person somewhere inside me, and I can see why one would believe such a thing. But seriously, I love dairy.

In college, my roommates gave me the nickname MooMooMoneybags. The MooMoo because I would normally drink a gallon of milk in 3 days all by myself and the Moneybags because I was a line-dancing waitress so I could break a hundred dollar bill at any given moment. This was no small thing for a group of college students.

And no, I'm not going to give any more details about that whole line-dancing thing at the moment.

Anyway, I'm convinced that I would be a dairy farmer except for the fact that sick animals make me irrationally nervous and no one will bank roll me the ridiculous amount of cash such a thing would require.

I say all this because I've really used restraint with the recipe today. I wanted to use a stick and a half of butter, 3 kinds of cheeses, and 2 cups of cream, but I didn't. If I didn't have concern for our waistlines or cardiovascular health, we could easily be the Buttertons. Anyone remember those commercials? I think I was the only one that thought the food looked good, not gross. All dairy over-kill aside, this risotto is delicious. I normally don't pat myself on the back so openly because it's not flattering, but I have to be honest about this one. You're going to want to try it, and soon. I've even caught myself eating it cold out of the frig. Hmmm, maybe I'm sharing too much here.

Mushroom Leek Risotto

1 1/2 c. medium grain rice

4 tbs. butter, divided

1/2 c. dry white wine

6 c. (at least) chicken broth

1/2 to 3/4 of a medium onion

3/4 c. asiago cheese

3/4 c. heavy cream

1 3/4 c. leeks (sliced thinly)

3/4 c. baby bella mushrooms

sea salt to taste

Melt butter in a pan over medium high heat. Add onions and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add rice and allow to cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and allow to cook away, approximately 3 minutes. Add warm (but not boiling) broth, one cup at a time until the rice mixture has absorbed most of the liquid, then add the next cup. Stir frequently (preferably with a wooden spoon) during this process. There's no hard and fast rule as to how long this will take, just play it by ear. Like any risotto, the key is to pay attention and keep stirring. The adding of the liquids will take around 30 minutes (give or take 10) depending on the heat of your stove, the heat of the broth, etc.

While the rice is cooking, place the leeks and heavy cream over medium high heat and allow to cook for approximately 15 minutes until the leeks are cooked and the cream has slightly reduced.

Once the risotto is creamy and thoroughly cooked, add asiago cheese, remaining butter, mushrooms, and leek mixture to the risotto.

If you want to be fancy, sprinkle some fresh parsley for serving. I served it with broiled salmon but pork tenderloin would be good...or steak...or chicken. You get the idea.