Chicken Risotto with a secret ingredient

The secret ingredient is taragon. There, that wasn't much of a secret was it? Neither 

are the shitake mushrooms in the photo. But feel free to keep it a secret from 

your friends, because they will be asking "What did you put in this?"

Ingredients


Olive oil
1 onion chopped finely
1 clove garlic chopped
1 aubergine diced
6 shitake mushrooms sliced
200g arborio rice
Cooked chicken breast diced
Tarragon
1 pint chicken stock (best home made by boiling chicken bones with vegetables and bay leaves, white wine optional)

Method

Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft then add the aubergine and 

mushrooms, cook until soft. Add the rice and cook for a minute before 

adding half of the stock. This "toasts" the rice and allows it to absorb the 

liquid slowly without going mushy.

 
Simmer until the liquid is absorbed before adding half of what is left of the stock. 

Risotto needs your full attention and the trick is timing. Adding the stock 

bit by bit allows you to get the correct consistency as the rice is cooked. Perfectly 

cooked risotto should not be hard and stick to the serving spoon, nor should it be 

so wet that it runs off your plate.

 
Season with salt and pepper to taste.