Tomato and Goat Cheese Risotto

What a weekend, full of sunshine, friends, family, and lots of gardening.  Saturday I spent all day in the garden planting seeds and my starts (pictured below).  Here is the official list of items planted: marigolds, celery, Walla Walla onions, green onions, tomatoes, peppers, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, spinach, kale, carrots, beets, turnips, oregano, and basil.  Then Saturday night I made and adapted this recipe with my lovely friend Sarah.  In other news do you live in PDX?  If so check out this great guide to Portland's summer concerts and festivals, I personally can't wait for the Jazz festival which is right down the road from us.  I'm looking to make tomato soup tonight, do you have a favorite recipe you love to use?  I am always looking for new twists on classic dishes such as tomato soup.  It's a Monday so let's keep this post short and sweet.  Enjoy!

Serves 4

The Ingredients
2 shallots, thinly sliced
5 mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups of fresh baby spinach
6 big sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup of white wine
2 cups of vegetable broth (you might need a bit more)
1 cup of risotto
14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
5 ounces of goat cheese
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon of butter


The Process
1.  In a large saucepan, heat up the butter until melted and bubbling. Throw in your sliced shallots and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat, stir frequently. Add the garlic and mushroom and continue cooking for about 3 to 4 minutes.

2.  Throw in the risotto, mix well and bring the heat up. Cook on high for about 1 minutes and throw in the white wine. De-glaze the pan and bring the heat down to medium high. Stirring frequently, wait until the liquid has almost all been absorbed.

3.  At that point, stirring in 1 cup of vegetable broth and bring the heat down to medium. Throw in the Parmesan and the sun dried tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring until the liquid has almost all been absorbed. Add in 1/2 cup of vegetable broth along with the diced tomatoes. Continue cooking until there is almost no liquid left.

4.  Test your risotto. If it is still hard, add in the rest of the vegetable broth and stir frequently until the liquid has been absorbed. Test your risotto again and do the same thing, 1/2 cup at a time until it is cooked to your liking.

5.  When the risotto is cooked, throw in the spinach and cover, on low heat for about 2 minutes. The spinach will wilt. Mix the spinach in and add the crumbled goat cheese and mix thoroughly. Keep cooking until the cheese has melted and is well incorporated.

Serve immediately!