Mrs. E.’s Shrimp Risotto

Mrs. E. has returned to the kitchen in fine form…. So if you’re wondering what to have for dinner this weekend, I cannot recommend this highly enough. We were celebrating and she even made it in our red Le Creuset Enameled Heart Pot

Mrs. E. cut the measurements by about a third to make just enough for the two of us. This is the full dinner for four.

Mrs. E.’s Shrimp Risotto
1/4 cup of oil, made up of 2/3 olive oil, 1/3 truffle oil
1 dozen shrimp
1 lb. of asparagus (tips only) [“Or whatever vegetable you have on hand,” adds Mrs. E.]
1 good sized vine ripe tomato (thank you Hanover County), seeded and diced
Roughly 1 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
1 TBS of minced garlic
1 cup of chopped onion
Roughly 3 TBS Fresh chives
1 – 2 tsp. of red (hot) pepper flakes
1/2 cup of grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
2/3 of 1 large box of College Inn Chicken Broth (about 4 cups?)
1 cup of Arborio rice
Salt and pepper

Heat the chicken stock to boiling in a pot. Lower heat to simmer.

In your enameled cast iron Heart pot, sauté the shrimps in a couple tablespoons of hot oil until they just turn pink. Remove. Replenish the oil to cover the bottom of your pot.

Add onions, garlic and salt and pepper. Cook until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat throughly. Cook, stirring for five minutes.

Add the hot chicken stock to the rice mixture a half cup at a time. Stir and simmer until it’s been absorbed. Add all but about a half cup of the stock. This will take you at least fifteen minutes. It’s a pain, but this is a really good recipe, I promise.

Stir in the last bit of stock, the vegetables, hot pepper flakes, cheese and shrimp. Stir until heated through and creamy. Crack some more pepper over it and serve immediately.

Serve with a chilled Pinot Grigio and a green salad.