I was scrolling through a bunch of Pinterest recipes I’ve saved the other day and I came to realize something: I’ve never had risotto!
How has a food experimenter like myself never had such a dish? Well…
Reason #1: Most restaurants make risotto with butter and cream. Despite my recent realization that I can have more dairy than previously believed, I still can not have creamy delights . Hitherto, I never ordered risotto in a restaurant. So why not make a lactose-free version at home for myself? That brings me to…
Reason #2: As a fan of Top Chef, I was under the impression that risotto was a very difficult dish to make. Almost every time one of the chefs on that show makes a risotto, they end up in the bottom. I put it in my bucket of things too complex to attempt. Goodness knows I don’t want to hear this:
Well, I was looking at some of these Pinterest recipes and the risotto dishes looked so delectable! I started craving it, and then I thought, hey, this would be a great way to fit some carbs into a meal. So with that, I pushed away my wariness, headed to the grocery, bought some risotto, and whipped up what turned out to be a quite yummy Creamy (sans cream) Shrimp Risotto.
A few things I learned during the creation of this recipe.
- Risotto is not the best dish to make in the summer, especially if you have a small kitchen lacking the benefits of air conditioning. You see, risotto can be pretty high maintenance. You have to very slowly add in liquid and you have to stir it FOREVER, aka the entire time it’s cooking. Standing over a hot stove in the middle of July and stirring my arm away? Not so fun. Then again, I got a good workout out of it… Hopefully no sweat got in my risotto!
- I have no idea if my risotto came out well. It tasted great! But who knows if Tom Colicchio would approve the texture and consistency of this needy grain (That’s what gets people sent home? Texture?! Oye!). Since I’ve never had risotto before, I have no idea if I nailed it or missed the make on the texture scale. But I think I win on the taste scale, and that’s what counts, right? Right, Tom?!
Anyway, while I don’t recommend you make this dish unless you have ample air conditioning, I do recommend you make it at some point! Once it’s made, it is quite refreshing for the summer. I even enjoyed some of the leftovers chilled.
The risotto is nice and creamy (hopefully that’s how it’s supposed to be!) even though there isn’t any cream in it, and the shrimp and corn add a nice crunch. Full of flavor, full of delicious, and lactose-free! Here are the stats:
Calories: 429, Fat: 12g, Carbs 52g, Fiber 2g, Protein 31g
Also, there’s still plenty of time to enter both the Health & Fitness Goodie Bag Giveaway and the Swanson Shopping Spree! Check them out and/or enter below!
This Creamy Shrimp Risotto will leave your taste buds happy and your tummy smiling. #healthyrecipes
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Have you ever cooked with risotto?
What recipes do you avoid in the summertime heat?
- 5-6 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch scallion, white and greens separated and diced
- 2 cups arborio rice (risotto rice)
- 1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled
- 2 cups corn (I used frozen and allowed to defrost)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese + 2 Tbsp for topping
- Bring broth to a boil, then simmer.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and cook until translucent, stirring so they don't burn (about 3 minutes).
- Add rice and cook, stirring, until glossy - about 5 more minutes.
- Add 1 cup of broth, reduce heat to medium, and stir constantly until most of the broth is absorbed (about 4 minutes).
- Continue adding broth a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly (so you're adding more broth every 5 minutes or so), until rice is slightly al dente (just the teeniest tiniest bit crunchy). This should take 20-25 minutes.
- Stir in the shrimp and corn until cooked through.
- Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan and scallion greens.
- Serve and garnish with remaining cheese.
- For a vegetarian option, use vegetable broth and replace shrimp with tempeh or tofu.
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