I made this recipe for shrimp risotto a few months ago when Fava Beans were full on in season. If you made it today I suggest perhaps substituting fresh shucked peas or maybe even fresh garbanzos . I see the fresh garbanzos in the local Latin markets all the time. If one were to tabulate the top all time carb loaded comfort foods, risotto would be right up there. The beauty of Risotto is that’s a vessel for all sorts of protein and ingredients. The possibilities are endless. With fall approaching imagine the butternut squash risottos coming along. One of my favorite risottos is one made with Barolo wine with shavings of cheese. I must make that for the blog one day. I’m getting into an Italian frame of mind as Certain Someone and I are leaving for Rome next month. I’m literally counting the days and hours. Aside from a sleepy border town on my way driving to Lugano, I have never really been to to Italy.
A proper Risotto, which is actually Northern Italian in origin, requires a semi soft grained rice like Arborio, Carnaroli, or less common Vialone. These rice varieties are high in starch content and more glutenous. For this Risotto I used Carnaroli, which is pricier than Arborio, but preferred for risotto. The grains cooks soft , yet retain their shape and firmness throughout the process.The key to Risotto is to slowly simmer your rice and ingredients while slowly adding small batches of liquid stock, while constantly stirring.The effort yields a rich, creamy and satisfying dish. Yet its not complicated at all. I like to use leftover risotto to make a breaded fried rice ball called Arancini. Imagine a dinner al fresco with some cold crisp Prosecco to wash it all down with.
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Shrimp Risotto
- 2 1/4 cups Carnaroli rice
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups fish or vegetable stock *I made my own from leftover fish bones and heads after filleting.
- 1 lb fresh , deveined, shelled shrimp coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cups broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup shelled Fava beans or peas
- Sea Salt to taste
- White Pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- In a skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium high heat until melted.
- Add minced garlic and soften.
- Add Carnaroli rice and heat for a few minutes to allow the flavors of the garlic and oils to coat to the grains. Stir while cooking.
- Add salt, pepper,thyme.
- Add about 3/4 cup of the stock as it slowly simmers while stirring. The rice will absorb the liquid.
- Add the raw shrimp that has been chopped coarsely, broccoli, and shelled fava beans or peas. Stir into rice mixture and add another cup of fish stock.
- Continue to add the remaining liquid slowly , as the rice absorbs the liquid as you stir constantly.
- The shrimp will lose its opaqueness and turn pink as the rice cooks slowly and takes in the liquid.
- Serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese
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This looks deeeelish! Love risotto. 🙂 And…I would definitely so for the fresh garbanzos. Love, LOVE them. Thanks for sharing this! 😉
The creamier, the better. We would probably use lots of parmesan. And sometimes cream. Yikes!
A scrumptious risotto! It looks so creamy…
Cheers,
Rosa
What a lovely risotto dish! Looks just crumptious! I found you through Louise’s blog, and so happy to have found you. Enjoy your stay in Italy. One’s thing’s for certain – you’ll eat well! Rome is a fabulous start.
Risotto can grace my plate any day of the week it is that good. Add shrimp and you have a balanced meal.
Welcome!
You got room in your suitcase for me? If not, I’ll sit home and eat your risotto and dream…
I love risotto, love it! And I love making it, too. This is a fabulous recipe, Courtney, one I’d love to try but (wail) no fresh shrimp in Nantes! I love the addition of fava beans and broccoli. Great recipe!
Have fun in Italy, and eat loads of their fabulous gelato. My favorite was the gelato al limone.
This risotto looks fantastic. I love that you used carnaroli instead of arborio. Arancini look so yummy. I’ve made something similar, but I would love to try an arancino with shrimp. YUM!
Buon viaggio!
You managed to get the consistency just right….. so creamy and yummee! I am trying to imagine the taste with the shrimp…….mmm, now my mouth is watering!
Looks fabulous Courtney! Love the soft pink and green colors.
See you Sunday! YAY!
LL
Risi e bisi is one of my favorite springtime comfort foods. Thanks for the tips on rice varieties! I had no idea…
It looks wonderful my dear and very kid-friendly. My daughter loves both rice and shrimp.
Looks divine – I love how it glows in the photos, rich and thick and comfort in a bowl!
Delicious looking risotto! I love its creaminess. Yum!