Asparagus, Pea and Saffron Risotto (With or Without Shrimp)

What I have truly come to appreciate about having a food blog is challenging myself to learn cooking techniques that have forever altered my previous food path of buying boxed mixes and frozen prepared foods. Amen.  With that said, I have developed some food shopping compulsions habits that can make my grocery bill sky-rocket faster than the price of gasoline. Seriously. I have an array of  exotic condiments and baking doo-dads that I bought, with a specific mission in mind.  Then, my recipe attention deficit disorder kicks in, and I make something entirely different. (I'moutofbreathfromthatreallylongandrunonsentence!)

Therefore, my garage freezer and pantry runneth over. This is when I step into my home "Iron Chef Mode".  Instead of relying on an ingredients list for a new recipe, I'm doing the reverse.  Based on what I have on hand, determines what's next on the menu at home.  I need to shop at home, first, because I don't want to become a food hoarder!  I spotted this recipe on "Quinces and the Pea", and I loved the color of the risotto. Making a mental grocery list, I realized I had everything to make this. I had a few asparagus spears in my fridge.

I had a box of unopened Carnaroli rice, and a few opened bottles of white wine in the fridge. Somewhere in the freezer, I recalled seeing a few large shrimp (is that an oxymoron?).  My cheese drawer is chock full of Fontina, Gouda, Parmesan, Romano, Feta (I have a serious affinity for cheeses).  The last time I actually made a Risotto was Ina Garten's Spring Risotto (August 2009), so it was time to make this delicious Italian comfort food.  

Risotto isn't a difficult dish to make.  Sure, you have to add small amounts of chicken stock, and you need to do a bit of stirring. On the other hand, it doesn't mean you can't do a little prep work in the kitchen at the same time.  I've added some saffron to the broth and white wine, for some color.

I made a few changes from the "Quince's" recipe and I decided to quickly saute' the asparagus (rather than steam them) with a little olive oil and unsalted butter.  I also sauteed shallots (instead of green onion) with some fresh garlic, before adding the rice. 

As the liquid reduces, I add an additional ladle of chicken broth, and make sure to stir often.

Risotto should be cooked until it's al dente (firm when bitten).  The end result that I prefer is a creamy risotto, but I honestly don't want it to be too "soupy".  The asparagus is al dente as well, so it's time to cook the shrimp-- I've done a quick marinade of the shrimp with a splash of white wine, finely minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice and some olive oil.

These shrimp (tails removed) are quickly cooked for about 2 minutes per side...

We want them pink and no longer opaque. Remove from heat.

The rice is perfectly cooked, I season it with a little more coarse salt.  The pan is removed from the heat, and I add a fistful of freshly grated Parmesan, about 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, the asparagus and a handful of frozen peas (unthawed).  I gave the risotto a final stir.

 Now, add the cooked shrimp...

Carnaroli rice makes such a creamy risotto!  But this needs more freshly grated cheese, and a little lemon zest...

All that's needed is a glass of chilled white wine and for a hungry husband to join me at the dinner table. 

TASTING NOTES:  You can cook the risotto a minute or two less, if you prefer more of a runny sauce. It's all preference.  I loved the creamy, thickness of the rice, which was perfectly cooked. The color of the saffron was really nice, but you could use a pinch of tumeric if you don't have saffron on hand.  The shrimp rounded out this light comfort food meal, and a crisp white wine balanced the citrus and the saltiness of the Parmesan. 

If you've always thought making risotto is too hard, or too much work, I can assure you that it took about 25 minutes for this dinner to be on the table.  It took about 15 seconds for my husband to be at the table, and an immeasurable amount of time to enjoy each others company for a cozy dinner at home-- and definitely a lot more economical than at a restaurant.

A printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.