Shrimp Risotto With Peas

This recipe appeared in the New York Times January 2010 as a healthy recipe and was created by Martha Rose Shulman an American cookbook author and writer for NY Times. I adapted this using the chicken stock, arborio rice, saffron (be sure to bloom it in warm water before adding) and fresh peas.  Also I halved the recipe as it is below but added full amount of peas and shrimp for extra protein. Shrimp shells are used here to make a subtle shellfish broth for the risotto.

1 pound uncooked medium shrimp (prefer with tails)

1 quart chicken stock or water

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

A generous pinch of saffron (optional) ( REMEMBER TO BLOOM IT IN 2T HOT WATER)

1 cup thawed frozen peas, or fresh peas (USED FRESH)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (did't have fresh on hand so I omitted)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Remove the tails and salt shrimp lightly, and set aside in a bowl . Bring shrimp tails and chicken broth to a boil, skim off foam, reduce the heat to low and simmer partly covered for 10 minutes.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick frying pan or a large, wide saucepan. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, three to five minutes, and then add the rice and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle.

3. Stir in the wine, and cook over medium heat, stirring. The wine should bubble, but not too quickly. You want some of the flavor to cook into the rice before it evaporates. When the wine has just about evaporated, stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock, enough to just cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly. Cook, stirring often, until it is almost absorbed. Add another couple of ladles of the stock. Add the bloomrf saffron and stir in. Continue to cook, stirring often — not too fast and not too slowly, adding more stock when the rice is almost dry — for 20 minutes.

4. Taste a bit of the rice. It should taste chewy but not hard in the middle. Continue adding simmering stock and stirring until the rice reaches this al dente stage. Stir in more stock to cover, and add the peas and the shrimp. Cook, stirring, for another four to five minutes, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through but still moist and the peas are bright. Stir in the parsley and another small ladle of stock, remove from the heat, add pepper, stir for a few seconds and serve.