Shrimp, Lemon, and Basil Risotto

I love risotto.  Really.  A LOT!  I can thank our friend Loren for introducing me to this lovely little dish.  If we have a special family gathering, someone in my family will usually ask me to make it.  I normally make a classic parmesan risotto but I found a recipe in a magazine for this shrimp risotto so I gave it a try this week. 

Basic Risotto

8-12 cups chicken broth or stock

1 small onion or 3 shallots, finely diced

1/2 c. butter

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 c. arborio rice

1 c. white wine

1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Pour chicken broth into a pot and cover.  Warm on low heat.

In a large sauce pan, melt 1/4 c. butter over med-high heat.  Saute onion and garlic until tender.  Add rice.  Cook, stirring frequently, until rice begins to brown and makes a slight popping noise.  (about 3 minuntes.)  Add wine and stir.  Cook, stirring frequently, until wine is almost absorbed.  Stir in 1 c. chicken broth.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is almost absorbed.  Repeat with chicken broth until the rice is al dente.  (about 20-25 min.)  Rice should be slightly firm in the center and look creamy.  Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.  Add remaining 1/4 c. butter and another 1/2 c. chicken broth.  Do not stir.  Cover and let stand 1 minute.  Remove lid and stir.  Serve immediately. 

Shrimp, Lemon, and Basil Risotto Variation

Prepare risotto as above.  Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, remove 6 strips of lemon zest, then thinly slice the zest.  Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Season 1 1/2 lb medium, peeled and deveined shrimp with 3/4 t. salt and cook for 2 minutes.  Turn the shrimp, add the lemon zest, 4 T. lemon juice, and cook until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes.  Fold the shrimp into the risotto along with 1/2 c. basic (torn in small pieces.)

In my test kitchen:

Risotto requires a lot of love and attention.  You need to consistently be stirring the rice so it doesn't burn on the higher heat.  Even though I can cook risotto by heart and don't really need to measure ingredients, trying to cook the shrimp at the same time was a little tough for me.  So I would recommend getting the onion and garlic diced up first, tear up the basil, and then get the shrimp all cooked up and set aside.  THEN start the risotto.  The shrimp will warm up again when you fold it into the finished risotto. 

You CAN make the basic risotto with water instead of wine but the wine really makes the difference in this dish.  The alcohol will cook out but it leaves behind a really great flavor.  So I highly recommend trying the dish with the wine it calls for.  Also, I was tempted to just use some dried basil in this since I never have fresh basil on hand.  But I decided to try the recipe as stated and grabbed some fresh herbs at the store.  It did not disappoint!  There is something sweet about fresh basil that really compliemented the lemony shrimp. 

~Happy Cooking!