SHRIMP RISOTTO........here it is!!! I have had a request for this a couple of times actually. And am happy to present this recipe. Funny....but since I am not a huge risotto lover ( I guess I am more of a pasta girl) I had to play with this one to make it just right for you. I believe the requestor and my taste testers will agree.... delicious!! Risotto is not hard to make, but I will say it does require attention....you have to babysit!!! Be prepared to give it some love and it will be amazing!! It is a very flavorful dish with base of white wine and garlic, combined with the finishing flavors of parsley, lemon zest and grated cheese.....not to mention the stars of the dish.....shrimp and asparagus. Soooooo good!!!
SHRIMP AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO
1 1/2 LBS EXTRA LARGE SHRIMP (CLEANED AND DEVEINED) 1 WHOLE BUNCH OF ASPARAGUS 2 CUPS RISOTTO 3 SHALLOTS 4 CLOVES OF GARLIC 1 1/2 CUPS OF A DRY WHITE WINE 4 TO 5 CUPS CHICKEN STOCK ( OR VEGETABLE IF YOU PREFER) 1/2 CUP GRATED PECORINO ROMANO CHEESE 1/2 OF A LEMON ZESTED 1 TBLSP FRESH PARSLEY 1 TBLSP PAPRIKA OLIVE OIL 3 TBLSP BUTTER SALT & PEPPER
Begin by getting your cleaned and deveined shrimp into a bowl. Season with salt & pepper and the paprika. Let it just sit together for 10 minutes or so. Then you can heat 2 Tblsp of olive oil in a large skillet. It is a great one pot meal since we will work in this one skillet the whole time. Add the shrimp and cook on a high heat. You will only need to cook them for about 2 minutes on each side until they are a light pink color. They cook very quickly!! When done....remove them and let them rest on a plate while we make the risotto.
In that same skillet heat another 2 Tblsp of olive oil over a low/medium flame. Slice and add the shallots and begin to saute.
Cut the asparagus into 1" pieces. Finely chop the garlic and add both into the skillet. Saute all together until soft but not mushy...you will want to keep a bit of a crunch here because they will continue cooking with the risotto. So maybe about 10 minutes. Season all with salt & pepper.
Add the 2 cups of Risotto into the skillet. Give it a couple of minutes to kind of toast before we start adding in the liquids.
Add in the white wine......Here is where we need to give it special attention!! It is, like I said, very easy but at this point you need to keep your eyes on it and stir very frequently. We will give the wine about 5 minutes by itself but then we will begin to add the chicken stock a cup at a time. You need to keep watching to see when the liquid is absorbed so you can keep adding more, a cup at a time. A slow addition of liquids will give the risotto a chance to cook evenly and it will develop a nice creamy texture. More so than just adding all the liquid all at once. Also, I estimated 4 to 5 cups of stock.....so it all depends on your cooking time and your taste. Keep tasting as you cook....if you like it "Al Dente" stop when you are there or continue until you are happy!!
As you can see from the pictures, it will get thicker and creamier as you go. When you are just about there.....add in the zest of about 1/2 lemon, parsley and cheese. Now we are ready for the shrimp....cut them in bite size pieces, so you get one in every fork full!!!
Give it a few minutes to heat the shrimp through and then you can finish it all off with the butter cut into a few small pieces. Plate and top with some fresh chopped parsley and even a squeeze of that lemon...
Wow....it really is delicious. I know that was a process but the results are amazing!! Make this for your next dinner party....your guests will be sooo impressed!! Doesn't that look gorgeous!!! And it tastes even better.....ENJOY!! And thank you to my BFF Tracy for this request. It challenged me to create a new dish...I love it. Keep those requests coming!!! But.....Tracy....now that you have the recipe....ummmm get to work!! Haha, I know her better than that.