Another shrimp recipe? Another shrimp recipe, my friends. I promise, I wouldn’t do two nearly back-to-back shellfish if it wasn’t really, really worth it. Last week’s shrimp was a simple, classic standby. Today’s is the polar opposite – complex, time-consuming and labor intensive. But the effort pays off because this risotto is going to be the best you’ve ever eaten.
I have to start by saying that I have a love/hate relationship with the cookbook where this recipe came from, La Cucina. It’s an absolutely enormous book of regional Italian recipes, which I love because it’s labeled by region and it’s almost anthropological in a way that really strikes a chord with my nerdy side. What I don’t love about La Cucina is that it’s wildly inconsistent. Sometimes the instructions are precise and in-depth (or at least obvious) and the recipes turn out impeccably. Just as often, the recipes are incredibly vague and result in kitchen abominations (I experienced one just two weeks ago). It’s just really hard to tell what you’re going to get.
But this recipe is a real winner. It’s also the perfect showcase for the kind of cooking I tend to be known for. On Sunday night, as I was stirring a pot of bechamel sauce for a homemade cannelloni (coming soon!), wearing an apron over my pajamas and with a glass of wine in hand, my friend told me that if I had a cooking show, my catchphrase – the way Ina Garten’s is “How easy is that?” and Martha Stewart’s is “It’s a good thing” – would be “Now wasn’t that worth it?”
Because let’s be honest – it’s sometimes ridiculous to do things like make your own cookies to crumble up for a cheesecake crust, or to make your own seafood broth as you’re putting together your risotto, as in this case. And as I’ve said before, it isn’t always the time or the place to make this kind of investment. But boy is it worth it when you’ve got a little time, because this risotto goes way deep. It has about 10 different flavors which you’ll be analyzing as you eat. It’s a discussion piece.
The asparagus are stacked adorably on grocery store shelves, like miniature forests on a hill, and I’m always looking for ways to use them (I’ve been doing a lot of lunchtime frittatas lately). I’d highly recommend you get out there while ’tis the season and grab a bunch, hunker down in the kitchen for a few hours, and turn it into a dinner that really, truly sings “spring.”
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. white asparagus
- 3/4 lb. shrimp (with shells)
- 1 carrot
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 celery rib
- Bay leaf
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons cognac
- 1 2/3 cups Vialone nano rice
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Trim the asparagus and peel the stalks with a vegetable peeler. Cut off the tips along with about 1 inch of the stalks and set aside.
- Boil the remaining stalks in a little lightly salted water until tender. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid and set aside.
- Put the stalks through a food mill and put the puree in the reserved cooking liquid.
- Shell the shrimp, reserving the shells. Combine the heads and shells of the shrimp with the carrot, half of the onion, celery and bay leaf and add water to cover. Boil 30 minutes.
- Strain this liquid and add it to the asparagus liquid.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan and cook the asparagus tips for about 3 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a pot, add the remaining onion and garlic and cook until lightly brown. Add the shrimp and when it has taken on color, pour in the wine; add the parsley and cognac. Cook until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the asparagus tips and rice, and toss to coat the rice with the contents of the pan. When the rice is translucent, add the 1/2 cup of the broth and stir until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding liquid 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. After about 20 minutes, taste the rice for texture and seasoning. It should be al dente: tender but not mushy.
- When the rice is nearly cooked, work in the remaining butter and the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Notes
From La Cucina
