Aug 25, 2009
This dish is a great base to add to your recipe box that can take on many variations. Risotto is such a comfort food if made correctly. Pair it, as this does, with a protein (shellfish) and lots of veggies, including the fiber rich, spinach, and you’ve got a great, warm & filling meal. Suggestions for base: 1. Use a good quality broth for the rice to absorb. Generally, the darker the broth, the greater the concentration of pure stock to other ingredients, typically added water and/or salt. I like Kitchen Basics chicken broth. It won’t break the bank and offers a darker stock than its competitor. 2. I used a little over a 4:1 ratio of stock to rice as others have suggested, this works out to just over a full box of the stock. The key is to stop adding broth only when the rice won’t absorb any more. When you start to feel like the rice won’t absorb any more, decrease each “test” addition so you don’t end up with soup. This should give you a nice, creamy texture. 3. I preferred cooking the shrimp & scallops in a sauté pan separate from the veggies to get a nice, caramelized sear. This will also prevent them from getting overcooked and loosing their moisture by sitting in the same pan with the veggies waiting to get done. Saute until just opaque in color and then transfer and mix with the veggies. Heat through. Suggested Variations: 1. I added 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to the risotto for added depth. 2. Try adding a couple big handfuls of parmesan or ramano ch
—CPAcook
