Shrimp Lemon Risotto

Copyright 2006 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. medium to large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 cup Arborio rice
1 small glass of dry white wine
1 can of chicken broth (14 oz. can)
1-2 twigs of fresh thyme
zest and juice of one lemon
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or Parmigiano Reggiano)
2 T unsalted butter
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, warm 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and add onion. Cook for about two minutes until translucent, making sure not to brown the onion. Add rice and stir with onions, letting the heat toast the rice for about a minute. Turn heat to medium and add wine and cook until most of it evaporates. Add broth, about 1 cup, with two twigs of thyme. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes, adding 1 cup of broth along the way, until rice is al dente, or almost done. Add peas about five minutes before the risotto is done.

Season your shrimp with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Then pan fry or grill for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side until opaque.

Remove risotto from the fire and stir in butter, lemon zest and squeeze of lemon juice, and cheese. Take out the thyme twigs. Add salt to your taste. Let it sit for about a minute, then plate up your risotto. Top it with your cooked shrimp and garnish with some strips of Parmesan (using a peeler) and a thinly sliced lemon.

Makes two servings. Serve with small endive salad.

Pair with a California chardonnay.

TIPS: Shrimp is great and quick to cook. All it needs to dress it up is salt and pepper. But if you'd like to add some depth to the flavors of your shrimp, you can add other things such as Herbs de Provence (one of my favorite herb mixtures for seafood or grilling vegetables) or give it an Asian twist by adding a splash of fish sauce to the hot pan to make your shrimp sizzle. Use what you think will complement your lemon and pea risotto.

GREEN RISOTTO: Peas are packed with a bunch of vitamins and protein that's good for you. In this recipe, I just added them near the end to give me the benefit and taste of the green pea. But if you'd like to try something different, you can cook your peas in boiling water for a few minutes and then puree them in a food processor. (Squeeze some lemon with the peas in the food processor to help retain the green color.) Then when your risotto is done, stir in your pea puree and mix well to get a plate of green risotto.