Shrimp and Champagne Risotto

These two Soul Sisters LOVE Risotto!  We decided to try our hand at a Shrimp and Champagne Risotto, an idea we picked up from watching the movie The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. Risotto truly is a labor of love dish; cooking it requires time, a steady eye and lots of arm strength.  It is also a fine balancing act with the amount of liquid used in the dish.  Risotto can be too loose and runny, too gummy and/or mushy, or it can be too hard and dense.  We tried our hand at making Risotto and it is no easy task.  Our recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice, 5 cups of chicken broth (broth already has salt and flavor so you are giving your risotto a kick start in the flavor department) and 1 cup of champagne.  In a pot bring the chicken broth to a boil.  Pour the rice into a large pan and slowly stir in one ladle full of broth and stir till liquid is absorbed.  Continue to stir in broth until risotto has reached the perfect texture (creamy, rich and cooked thoroughly).  You need to constantly stir risotto to prevent it from clumping and helping it to cook evenly.  Once the risotto has almost reached your desired texture slowly stir in champagne.  Allow the risotto to cook until the alcohol has cooked out and the texture is perfect.  REMOVE from heat.  If you leave it on the heat the risotto will continue to cook and dry out.  We decided to add a few dashes of black truffle oil to the risotto to enhance flavor.  In a separate pan we sauteed mushrooms, shrimp, prosciutto, garlic and spring onions.  We topped the risotto with this delicious mixture. This dish turned out to be just as delicious as it sounded in the movie.