Lemon Mushroom Risotto with Scallops

It's been a record now! I have not contributed towards my blog for the past 4 months and I feel sorry about it. I do not have enough excuse for this blunder but yeah I was busy giving exams (Yes, I cleared my PMP certification - deserve a pat on the back), roaming with parents and in-laws and getting pampered :). But yes, how could I forget about my baby (my blog) just because I am going to have a baby!?! So here is my latest creation :)
My husband and I are fans of Hell's Kitchen and inspired by Gordon Ramsay's Risotto I wanted to make Risotto too. I had tried once before and loved it. I didn't blog about it then and so I thought why not try it once again so that I can give correct measurements.

Although I would like to warn you about couple of things before making risotto:
1. It takes a lot of time and patience to make Risotto. Even though many websites and cook books say 25-30 minutes as cooking time, it takes at least 45 minutes (stirring constantly)
2. It is fattening - so if you are a health freak like me, just workout 1-2 hours more in the week but please do not try to reduce the amount of butter from the recipe (as I have already done so. Any less than this wouldn't taste good - tried that too)

I found this recipe behind the rice packet that I bought and I added my own taste to it to make it lime n lemony.

Ingredients: 
Arborio rice - 1.5 cups
Vegetable/chicken broth - 6 cups
White wine - 1/4 cup (optional)
Mushrooms, sliced - 2 cups
Onions, chopped - 1 medium
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Parsley, chopped - 2 tspn
Parmesan Cheese - 3 tbspn
Butter - 4 tbspn
Lemon Juice - 3 tbspn


Procedure: 

1. Keep the broth on the stove on medium heat till it boils.
2. In the mean time, saute mushrooms in 1 tbspn till soft and keep it aside to cool. 
3. Now saute the onions and garlic in the rest of the butter till translucent. Then add the rice to the onion-garlic mixture. Mix it well for a minute or so.
4. On medium heat, add the white wine and stir it till the wine is absorbed by the rice. In similar fashion, start adding 1/2 cup broth at a time and cook till all the broth is absorbed by the rice, stirring occasionally so that the rice doesn't stick.to the bottom. 
5. Repeat the above step till the rice is cooked al dente. Personally, I like it cooked a little more than al dente.
6. Now, add the mushroom, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and parsley, mix well and serve with scallops.

Variations: 
You can modify this recipe in many ways - get rid of lemon, add herbs etc.

Conclusion:
The Mushroom Lemon Risotto with Cajun scallops turned out really yummy. Even the baby was dancing with happiness :)