I've been making something more of less like this for about five years or so, and it's a real favourite. The recipe has changed a bit over the years, and is practically unrecognisable from the original cook-book recipe which we never followed properly.
Serves 2, takes about 1 hour
Chop the onion, crush the garlic and fry in the oil on a medium heat in a large saucepan (everything goes in this saucepan). Wash and chop the mushrooms, add them to the saucepan, cook for a bit longer. Add the rice (don't wash the rice), fry that for about 2 minutes. Turn the heat right down and add the vermouth and the herbs, and stir thoroughly. Wait for most of the vermouth to cook out, and then pour in a small fraction (about an eighth or so) of the vegetable stock. Keep cooking the rice, stirring occasionally, and adding more vegetable stock whenever all of the existing stock has been absorbed. Meanwhile, grate the cheese. Once all of the stock has been absorbed, stir in the grated cheese, and cook for 5 more minutes, then serve.
Lots of people like to use special risotto rice. I've never bothered - it's very tasty with normal long-grain rice.
This meal tastes much better than it looks. It looks like a light grey-brown mush, not very appealing at all - well, not appealing until you know what it tastes like.
I've recently started experimenting with a new type of stock cube. "Perfect Rice", by Knorr. These are billed as saffron stock cubes, but contain 0.01% saffron (and they'd cost a lot more if they contained more), and rather more turmeric and carrot extract for colouring. I'm sure the saffron content is a cynical marketing ploy, but on the other hand the cubes do make the risotto taste nicer, and I think it improves the appearance too.
The quantities above make quite small portions. If you're very hungry, make enough for one-and-a-half times the number of people eating.