Risotto with Mussels

Preparation:

1. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and sauté 1–2 peeled garlic cloves. This will infuse the olive oil for cooking the mussel risotto. Remove the sautéed garlic.
2. Peel the onion and chop it very finely. Sauté the onion in the infused olive oil until soft and lightly golden.
3. Add the Arborio rice to the sauté pan with the fried onion and stir. Cook over low heat for 1–2 minutes, until the rice changes from almost white to slightly pearly and becomes translucent around the edges.
4. Add half a cup of natural dry white wine to the pan with the rice and, without covering with a lid, stir the rice. The wine should be completely absorbed.
5. Prepare the vegetable broth in advance and add it to the rice in small portions — no more than ¼ cup at a time. Once the rice is soft but still has a noticeable firmness in the very center, it is almost ready.
6. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and herbs to the rice. Then add the prepared mussel meat and stir. Cook covered for another 2–3 minutes. The consistency of the mussel risotto should be similar to rice porridge. If the risotto is too thick and dense, add more broth.
7. Once the mussel risotto is ready, sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan and herbs.

Enjoy your meal!