A Winelover's Wanderings

It was Jerry's turn to pick a recipe, and he chose the risotto/paella category. Jerry is JDeQ on Slow Travel, and his blog is Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants! The recipe came from his Williams Sonoma cookbook "Savoring Italy", and here is the online recipe.

Risotto with Crab & Shrimp (Risotto al Granchio e Gamberi)

Ingredients:
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined and each cut into 4 or 5 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken or fish broth or water
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups medium-grain rice such as arborio, vialone nano or carnaroli
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 lb. fresh-cooked crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell fragments

In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic and 2 Tbs. of the parsley in 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, stirring once or twice, until the garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, just until the shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside. Add the broth to the saucepan and bring just barely to a simmer.

In a large saucepan or risotto pan over medium heat, warm 3 Tbs. of the oil. Add the onion and sauté until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the kernels are hot and coated with oil, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and continue to cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed.

Add the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and making sure the liquid has been absorbed before adding more. When the rice is about half cooked, stir in the tomatoes, salt and pepper. The risotto is done when the rice grains are creamy on the outside and firm yet tender to the bite, 20 to 25 minutes total. Rice varies, so you may not need all of the broth or you may need more. If more liquid is required, use hot water.

Stir in the shrimp and crabmeat and cook, stirring, just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Remove the risotto from the heat. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbs. each oil and parsley. Spoon the risotto into warmed soup bowls and serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8

I pretty much followed the recipe, using shrimp and crab, but I can see that other types of fish would work just as well. I used the constant stirring method because I have never made risotto without stirring and I was afraid to try.

Tomatoes are so tasteless at this time of year, so I used a can of chopped baby tomatoes, which I added a little later in the cooking process, along with the shrimp and crab. I would like to try the recipe again with GOOD ripe tomatoes.

Bill and I both really liked the recipe - it was creamy and very tasty. I will definitely be making it again.

Here are my ingredients:

And the finished product: