Shrimp Risotto

I made this recipe the other night, inspired by a recipe I found on epicurious.com. I made some changes to the recipe, which you'll find in italics. My family raved over this meal, and even my 4-yr-old and 19-month-old devoured their heaping bowls of this. The thing I love most about this recipe, besides the most amazing flavor and texture, is the fact that for the most part you should have most of these items already in your pantry. And I always buy the 2-lb-bags of frozen shrimp at the grocery store when they go on sale, so I can quickly and inexpensively throw together a yummy shrimp dinner without breaking my grocery budget. Bon Appetito!

Shrimp Risotto:

Ingredients:
5 cups seafood stock
3/4 cup white wine
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) butter
2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp red pepper flake (or to taste)
1 lb uncooked large shrimp peeled & deveined (reserve shrimp shells to put into stock pot)3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 & 1/2 cup uncooked arborio rice

Garnish:
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
lemon zest -or- pecorino romano cheese

Instructions:
Bring broth and 1/4 cup white wine to a simmer over medium heat and add reserved shrimp shells. Reduce heat; keep hot.

Shrimp shells simmering away in blend of seafood stock and white wine:



Melt 2 Tbsp butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp garlic and crushed red pepper flake, then shrimp. Saute' until shrimp begins to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup wine. Simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes, Drain shrimp, reserving cooking liquid.

Shrimp cooking away in garlic, butter, and white wine:



Melt remaining 4 Tbsp butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and remaining 1 tsp garlic; saute' until onion is pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of broth mixture. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding broth mixture 1 cup at a time, stirring often and simmering until liquid is absorbed before adding more, about 20 minutes. Stir in reserved shrimp cooking liquid. cook until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

This is what your risotto should look like while its cooking:



Stir shrimp and 2 Tbsp parsley into risotto. Season risotto to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowls, and add either zest of 1 lemon or pecorino romano cheese to taste.

The finished product. Look how creamy it is! Yum!