Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach

4 cups chicken stock
6 bacon slices, chopped
1 cup chopped shallots
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces of cremini mushrooms (baby portabellas), sliced
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
4 ounces oyster mushrooms, sliced
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/3 cup Madeira wine (or dry sherry)
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup (2 oz.) grated fresh Asiago cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Let me start by saying that, number one, I forgot the garlic completely. I think it would have made the flavor better, but I don't know about 4 cloves. So I'd say choose an amount dependent on how much you like garlic. Number two, I went to two stores, and Sprouts was out of oyster mushrooms, while HEB just didn't carry them. Instead, I used brown pearl mushrooms. This recipe came from Cooking Light.

1. Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a small saucepan and keep it warm without letting it boil.

2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon, and cook it 8 minutes until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the shallots, oil, thyme, and garlic to the bacon drippings and cook for 6 minutes until shallots are tender. Stir in mushrooms, cook for 8 minutes. Then add the rice and cook for one minute.

3. Add the Madeira wine, and let it cook off, which should take about a minute. Then start with one cup of broth, letting the rice absorb it completely (about 4 minutes) before adding more, 1/2 a cup at a time. Stir it constantly the whole time. This whole process may take about 25 minutes total.

4. Stir in the spinach and cook for a minute until it wilts. Remove the pot from the heat and add in the cheese, salt, and pepper. Spoon it into bowls and top with the bacon!