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1
Bring some water to a boil, In my dream, I hadn't wanted to buy stock, so I decided to make an impromptu mushroom stock. Our little kitchenette (very -ette) was nicely equipped with basic equipment, but it clearly was not anticipated that anyone would be doing something so sophisticated as measuring. So I filled a coffee cup four times with boiling water, plus an extra splash. I had put the mushrooms in our one large bowl, poured in the boiling water, and set one of our two dinner plates on top to retain the heat. We poured some wine and sat down to read in front of the lovely huge window that let in a cooling evening breeze. After about a half hour, the water was looking richly brown, so we started prepping the onions and garlic. Start to finish, the mushrooms probably soaked for a good 45 minutes.
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2
I set the bowl of mushrooms and their stock (no strainer) in the microwave to heat up preparatory to making the risotto. We melted some butter and added some olive oil and when they were hot, added the garlic. Instantly, our little place was starting to smell seriously good. I added the rice and stirred it around to toast for a few minutes, then added the wine and stirred slowly until most of it was absorbed. The stock was next While I added it a coffee cupful at a time, dodging mushrooms and stirring exquisitely slowly all the while, my daughter made us a beautiful salad and tossed it simply with olive oil and sea salt. As the risotto began to look creamier and creamier, she sliced an unbelievably fresh baguette and refilled the wine glasses.
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3
When all the stock was in the pot, and the risotto perfectly al dente, I swirled in the lemon zest and juice, the green onions (their flavor wants to be bright, and they'll lend a bit of a good crunch) a knob of butter, the cheese, and last, the mushrooms and the bit of remaining stock. I seasoned it up, and transferred it to plates. Finally, I snipped some fresh chives over the top. We sat down together and raised a toast to the power of dreams.
