Hypercolour Bean and Mushroom Risotto

I'm a huge fan of risotto, and have tried my hand at many different types. Last time I made a simple pea and parmesan risotto for dinner I kept thinking that I wish I had mushrooms to add. Now after making this Canadian Living Mushroom Risotto, I realized that just adding mushrooms wouldn't have cut it. The key is to reconstitute dried mushrooms, using the liquid as the broth. Wow! What awesome flavours!

Now, this recipe was for a Green Bean and Mushroom Risotto. I already had some awesome purple beans I'd grabbed earlier in the week, and I thought they would make the risotto look so cool, with the deep purple set against the mushrooms. Now, I had not yet cooked these beans, so little did I know that they were hypercolour (I do hope some people get that reference!). When they were cooking I looked away for a minute or two, and when I looked back they had turned green! Regardless, the dinner was awesome!

Hypercolour Bean and Mushroom Risotto

- 1 pkg dried mushrooms (I used Porcini's I think?)

- 1 cup hot vegetable stock

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- salt and pepper

- 1 cup arborio rice

- 1/3 cup dry white wine

- 1 cup purple beans, cut

- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigianno

- 2 tbsp parsley

In heatproof bowl, soak mushrooms in 2 cups boiling water until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon; chop and set aside. Strain liquid into measuring cup; add stock and enough water to make 3 cups. Set aside.

In large shallow saucepan, melt 1 tbsp of the butter over medium heat; fry mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Add rice, stirring to coat. Add wine; cook, stirring constantly until no liquid remains. Add 1 - 1/2 cups of stock mixture, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring after

each addition until completely absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Add beans. Add remaining stock mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until completely absorbed and rice is creamy and tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese, parsley and remaining butter.