My favorite way of blogging is to cook something, eat it, blog about it right afterwards, and then read your comments. That’s what I did today. From the kitchen to the blog in a couple of hours. Risottos always take a bit of time, but this one was straightforward enough to make on a weekday after work. From the ingredient shot to the plate in 40 minutes.

Usually when I make a shrimp risotto, I make a shrimp stock from the heads and shells of the shrimp and thus give the risotto a huge flavor of shrimp bisque. This version, another recipe from Biba Caggiano, is lighter with a ‘cream’ of shrimp that is made of shrimp, cream, and tomato. An interesting point about this risotto, which Biba got from Cannavota in Rome, is that a bit of parmigiano is added. Usually, cheese is not added to primi piatti with seafood, as the cheese would overpower the delicate flavor of the seafood. In this case it seems to work.

Compared to Biba’s recipe I made a few changes. I increased the amount of shrimp and served sautéed shrimp on top of the risotto. I also added just a touch of cayenne pepper to increase the flavor. It should be so little that you hardly notice it, but it does enhance it. And finally I used fish stock instead of chicken stock. I think it is more appropriate in a seafood risotto.

Ingredients

For 2 servings

200 grams (7 oz) shrimp, shelled and deveined

130 grams (2/3 cup) risotto rice, such as carnaroli

600 ml (2 1/2 cups) fish stock

1/4 onion, minced

80 ml (1/3 cup) dry white wine

80 ml (1/3 cup) tomato puree (passata di pomodoro)

2 Tbsp heavy cream

salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

2 1/2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp basil chiffonade

freshly grated parmigiano

2 Tbsp olive oil

Preparation

Heat up the fish stock and keep it hot. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add half the shrimp and cook over high heat about 1 minute per side. Turn off the heat.

Combine the shrimp with the cream and the tomato puree in a blender.

Process until smooth.

Reserve.

Melt 2 Tbsp of the butter in a wide thick-bottomed pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent.

Add the rice, and stir it over medium heat until the rice is very hot.

Add the white wine, and stir until it has been absorbed.

Add a ladle of the hot fish stock.

Stir until the stock has been incorporated. Then add another ladle of stock. Keep stirring and adding more stock until the rice is almost cooked, about 15 minutes.

Now add the shrimp cream.

Stir to incorporate, and cook, stirring, until the rice is cooked. Add more fish stock if needed.

Taste whether the rice is cooked. The rice should be cooked through, but still have some bite (al dente).

Turn off the heat. Add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp butter, the basil, and just a bit of freshly grated parmigiano.

Stir to incorporate. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and cayenne pepper.

Heat the pan in which you sautéed the shrimp back up and cook the reserved shrimp over high heat for about a minute per side. Season with salt.

Serve the risotto on preheated plates. Garnish with the sautéed shrimp.

Flashback

Kung Pao Chicken is a favorite Chinese restaurant dish that is relatively easy to make at home.