shrimp risotto


The other night Benjamin was in need of some comfort food.  His dad isn't doing well and comfort food needed to be on the menu.  We went to the grocery store and looked for risotto.  Much to my surprise (sarcastic) they didn't have any.  When we went to the cute little market I've mentioned before, of course they had a huge barrel.  I got us some risotto, a bottle of wine, and shrimp to go in it.  In fact, we got 2 bags of shrimp when it was a 'buy one get one free' deal so there's going to be more shrimp on the menu in the days to come.


I really do love risotto.  It can be so creamy and cheesy and that hint of wine on the undertone just does me right in.  The shrimp was sauteed in some olive oil and butter until pink then diced and added to the risotto at the last step.

I followed Jamie Oliver's Basic Risotto Recipe and highly recommend it as copied below:

Ingredients
• 4 cups chicken or veg broth
• 2 T butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cup risotto rice
• 2 wineglasses of dry white wine
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1-2 T butter
• 4oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese





Stage 1

Heat the stock. In a separate pan heat the olive oil and butter, add the onions and garlic, and fry very slowly for about 15 minutes without colouring. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.

stage 2

The rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the wine and keep stirring — it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavours will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.

stage 3

Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and almost massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes. Taste the rice — is it cooked? Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.

stage 4

Remove from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. This is the most important part of making the perfect risotto, as this is when it becomes outrageously creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat it as soon as possible, while the risotto retains its beautiful texture.




3 comments

  1. Anonymous4/20/2010

    Ok, that looks so good....especially right now since I'm hungry, and haven't eaten all day, and it's 830 at night. Love the pic of you at the end too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ohhh look at you in that Clemson shirt....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for taking care of my big bro. I love it that you understand the necessity of "comfort food" Can't wait to see you again.

    ReplyDelete