Risotto al Scampi

Here's another Italian dish that reeks of authenticity from my friend Romina in Italy. It may look like something from an uber fancy restaurant but nothing is farther from the truth. This is down home cooking at it's best. She is no chef but a seasoned cook working with the ingredients she is accustomed to and sometimes that is what makes it so fantastic. Romina struggles with the recipes because English is not her first language, so I do a lot of editing, but at the end of the day her English is way better than my Italian! Artfully plated, this dish is beautiful to look at and tastes wonderful.

Romina's Risotto with shrimp and zucchini

serves 4

400 g rice

800 g shrimp

1 zucchini diced
Chive

Parsley
60 g. of butter
1 glass of white wine
1 lt. of fish broth

2-3 cherry tomatoes sliced into halves

1 clove garlic, crushed

Olive oil
salt & pepper

chili oil or crushed red chili pepper

1 T cream

1 potato

1 carrot

1 zucchini chopped roughly

1. Clean the shrimp, de-vein, rinse and pat dry. Keep 1-2 whole shrimps per person, keeping heads and shells intact for the garnish.

2. To make the fish broth: Use a large pan to cook the heads and shells in the butter. Add some of the chives, pepper, salt, parsley and saute until caramelized. Add 1/2 glass of white wine, and 1 and half liter of water, potato, carrot and zucchini, cut into chunks. Bring the consommé/ fish broth to a boil and allow it to simmer. Strain and set aside.

Now add the rice, and saute it briefly, adding 1/2 glass of white wine Over medium heat, add 1-2 big spoons of hot broth and leave it to cook, stirring once in a while, adding a few spoons of soup whenever it starts drying out. Continue for about 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add the shrimp in at the end. Add in the butter last which makes it rich and creamy.

3. Use a large pan to heat the olive oil, add chives, chopped parsley, pepper, a few drops of spicy oil or chilly pepper and the garlic. Add the cherry tomatoes and top with the diced zucchini. Cook the whole shrimp briefly on each side remove from the pan and set aside.

4. Serve immediately on a plate garnished with the shrimp, parsley and what looks like fish roe.