Easy Risotto Recipe

Risotto is one of hubby's favourite foods, but I've always thought it was too difficult to cook at home. I finally tried making it myself (perhaps during last November's eat-at-home challenge?), and it has become one of my go-to recipes. I read a ton of recipes when I was learning how to cook this, and eventually pieced together this one. Now, I make risotto around once a week--it's incredibly easy and so incredibly delicious.

INGREDIENTS

• 400 grams frozen shrimp, thawed
• 3 cups unsalted chicken broth
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 large celery stalks, finely chopped
• ½ large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• ½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• Salt to taste

METHOD

1. Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. As soon as broth begins to boil, reduce the heat so broth remains steaming, but is no longer simmering.

2. Heat approximately ½ tbsp of butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pan fry in batches until just cooked through. Add more butter with subsequent batches as required. Remove shrimp and set aside.

3. Add remaining butter to the same saucepan that was used to cook the shrimp. Add onion, garlic, and celery. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice, and stir to coat. Season with salt if desired (be careful if broth contains salt).

4. Stir ½ cup of the hot broth and a splash of wine into the rice. Deglaze the pan and stir frequently, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue to cook on medium-low heat, adding broth in ½ cup increments followed by a splash of wine, and stirring after each addition until most of the liquid is absorbed. I typically add liquid every 5 minutes, and the risotto is the texture I like after 30 minutes of cooking. The risotto should be creamy and just tender.

5. Turn off heat, stir in parmesan and shrimp, and taste/adjust for seasonings.

6. Serve immediately.

This recipe serves 2 rather generously.

NOTE

You can substitute the ingredients as you wish. Sometimes I use peas instead of celery. If I use peas, I boil them separately and add them at the end with the parmesan and shrimp. I've also used salmon instead of shrimp. In that case, I bake the salmon separately and add a piece on top of the cooked risotto instead of incorporating it with the rice. If you like mushrooms, that's usually a nice ingredient to include in risotto. Saffron would also be amazing--in fact, I plan to make a saffron risotto (Risotto alla Milanese) sometime soon. Buon appetito!