 Shrimp with a big taste: Il Cane Pazzo’s risotto calls for lemon, fresh herbs and oh so buttery shrimp. |
Calling all pathological stirrers and hawkeye chefs: If you can’t seem to separate yourself from your wooden spoon as something’s cooking, risotto should be the main staple of your diet. Il Cane Pazzo does it up right with a touch of fragrant lemon, fresh herbs, and some buttery shrimp on top. Another version serves up the whole shrimp coated in pesto, which is an easy addition if you opt for the store-bought kind (several spots around town carry fresh pesto, like Feast! and Integral Yoga).
But let’s get down to heart of the matter, the process of determining when your risotto is al dente. To cook something "to the teeth" doesn’t mean that it should stick to the teeth; you’re going for a nice bite, in which the grains retain a firmness, but no uncooked crunch. You should be able to stir the risotto without forming clumps (obviously this is most important at the finish, when it’s been removed from the heat and mixed with the remaining ingredients). The term al dente can be applied to vegetables, too—like carrots or green beans—for a crispness and fresh, springy flavor that holds its own when mixed with heavy, pungent sauces.
Il Cane Pazzo’s Lemon Risotto with Shrimp
1 quart shrimp stock
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup finely diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small bundle fresh thyme
2 cups short grain or Arborio rice
24 medium or large shrimp,
peeled and cleaned
1/4 cup chopped basil
juice and zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Simmer shrimp stock. Saute onion in 2 Tbs. of olive oil until translucent and tender; add garlic and thyme. Add rice, sauté until grains are thoroughly coated and slightly toasted, then begin adding warm stock (about two ounces at a time), stirring and letting each addition absorb and evaporate before adding another. Repeat until rice is al dente. Just before your last addition of stock, sauté shrimp in last tablespoon of olive oil in a separate pan for two to three minutes, remove, and chop half. Remove risotto from heat and add basil, lemon juice and zest, butter, parmesan, chopped shrimp, and salt and pepper to taste. Fold together with a spatula. When serving, place the remaining whole shrimp on top of each portion of risotto. Serves four.
