Risotto with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms and Spinach

Last night I made risotto for the second time ever. Far better than the first attempt (first try had butternut squash in it and I have determined after several tastings that I just do not like butternut squash, at least not without many other complementary flavors to mask it [for instance I had storebought butternut squash soup and it would have been SO much better with apple blended into it]), but there were a few things about the recipe I'd change for personal preference reasons.

1) It had roasted garlic in it, which I've done many times before in the "chop off top of head, pour olive oil over, wrap in foil, bake" way, but this way wanted me to separate the cloves beforehand, which had the end result of having the side of the clove that was touching the bottom of the pan become dry and hard and burnt. Next time, I'll just roast the head whole and squeeze the cloves out.

2) It wanted dried porcini mushrooms and also wild mushrooms. I used crimini. I have also determined that I am not a huge fan of portobello because despite my careful cleaning they always have this icky black crap coming off of them (like black watery stuff) and taste like dirt. This wasn't a huge issue last night when the risotto was fresh, but I reheated it today and took it in my Mr. Bento to work (speaking of which I have been completely neglecting that in favor of McDonald's Monopoly stuff, oh god I suck) and the dirty crimini flavor had completely permeated throughout the risotto. Sigh.

3) Last time, with the failed butternut squash risotto, I made it the "authentic" way, by adding the broth in ladlefuls until all is absorbed and risotto is creamy. But it just came out sticky and gooey at the end (butternut squash may have contributed to this). Last night I just put all the broth in at once and let simmer until absorbed. And the creaminess factor was MUCH better. Huzzah!

So yeah. Recipe:

Roast 1-2 heads of garlic at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until done. Let cool, squeeze cloves out and chop to get roughly 1/4 cup garlic.

Slice 12 oz mushrooms of your choice, saute in olive oil over med-hi heat until done. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.

In a large saucepan (I used a 3-qt one), cook 1/4 cup chopped shallots with a lot of thyme in olive oil over med-hi heat until tender. Add 1 1/2 cups arborio rice, stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup white wine, cook until nearly evaporated. (Mine vaporized nearly instantly, but I also only used about 1/4 cup because that was all that was left in the bottle). Add 3 cups chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all is absorbed and risotto is creamy, adding more broth if it gets too dry too fast. Add mushrooms and 2 cups thinly sliced spinach, cook until spinach is wilted. Add plenty o Parmesan, season to taste with salt and pepper.