Small Town Summer: Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

With the crazy atmosphere that comes with moving, I have been a little distracted these past few days. I apologize for my brief hiatus, but I’m back in Philly, ready to go!

Of course the weekend I’m back, the Eastern Seaboard is hit by a giant storm. My luck.

Still, I am ready to get back to business in my new tiny kitchen. Sadly, this is a significant improvement from last year, but an improvement is an improvement. Right?

While I haven't been able to post for the last couple of days, I've still been cooking.


For our last night at home, I made Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto, which was the perfect way to part. I’ve made this recipe several times before. This time I forgot to add the wine before the broth but and instead added the wine later in the recipe. I don’t know if it was because of this, but the risotto was even more flavorful than previous attempts. So I'm writing my recipe this way.

I know for some people risotto can be intimidating. There is not much to it, just alot of stirring.


Risotto is also pretty easy. Along with olive oil, pepper, and garlic, this recipe only have six main ingredients:


Rice, Wine, Broth, Onions, Shrimp, and Asparagus

 

So, don't be intimidated, and definitely try it!

 Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of Arborio Rice

5 cups of Chicken Broth

¾ cup of White Wine

3-4 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

1 lb. shrimp, peeled

1 cup Asparagus, chopped

¾-1 cup Grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

 

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and minced garlic.

When the olive oil and garlic are heated, add the chopped onion and begin to brown.

In a separate pot, heat five cups of broth over medium heat.

Add shrimp and asparagus. Do not let broth boil, but only lightly simmer.

Once the shrimp are pink and the asparagus is tender, scoop out of the broth into a separate bowl with a slotted spoon.

In the risotto pot, once onions are lightly browned, add pepper and the arborio rice. Brown the rice.

Once rice is browned, add broth by ladling two ladles at a time. Stir rice and allow the broth to be absorbed. Once the broth is absorbed, add two more ladles and repeat the process until all the broth is absorbed and the rice is soft, not crunchy.

When about half the broth is absorbed, add a ladle of white wine for each ladle of broth, allowing it to absorb.

Once the rice is almost “dry,” and all the broth is absorb, take off heat and mix Parmesan cheese into the rice.

Gently mix the cooked shrimp and asparagus into the rice mixture.

 Scoop servings and top with extra parmesan cheese and fresh pepper.

Note: While this recipe makes enough for four dinner sized portions, if you have two garbage-disposal boys eating with you (like we did,) I recommend serving with bread and a salad.

Enjoy!

Love,

The College Cuisiner