Shrimp Risotto
Risotto can be made entirely without dairy, or mostly. I don’t understand when people add cream or mascarpone (I’m looking at you, Gordon Ramsey). The key to making a creamy risotto is patience. Don’t rush the process and the results will be rewarding.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped and divided
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup white wine, room temp
4 cups chicken or seafood stock, warmed
1 cup grated parmiggiano reggiano cheese
Zest of one lemon (juice to be used later)
1 lb shrimp, deveined and tails removed
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon
salt and pepper
Instructions
Sauté one large minced shallot in olive oil for a few min then add 3 cloves minced garlic and sauté another min. Add one cup Arborio rice and stir until coated, about a minute. Reduce heat to medium low and add 1 cup white wine. Stir frequently until liquid is absorbed then one cup at a time add 4 cups chicken or fish stock that’s been heated up on the stove(so you’re not adding cold to hot). After each cup, let the liquid get absorbed before you add the next, stirring frequently. You know it’s absorbed when you drag the spoon through the pan and the liquid doesn’t immediately fill it up. After the 3rd cup, taste to see if it’s done but I’m pretty sure you’ll need that 4th cup. If it still tastes hard, you’ll need to add more broth but add 1/2 cup at a time until it’s where you want it to be. Shut the stove off and add 1 cup grated pecorino Romano or parmiggiano and stir until melted through. Add the zest of one lemon and lots of black pepper and salt to taste. Set aside, covered.
In a separate Pan, sauté 2 cloves garlic, minced, in olive oil over medium heat for one min. Turn up the heat to high and add a pound of cleaned shrimp and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Squeeze half a lemon over the shrimp, lots of black pepper and salt. They should be delicious as is. Dump the shrimp and the juices over the risotto and fold to thoroughly incorporate. Adjust for seasonings. A little nice basil ribbons might be nice too
