Nyt Seafood Risotto

SEAFOOD RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring. Saute until the onions are slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add the stock and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 6 minutes. Add the rice and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Clean, trim and dice the shellfish and seafood. Season the seafood with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 6 minutes. Stir in the butter, cream, cheese, and green onions. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Spoon the risotto in the center of each shallow bowl. Garnish with parsley.

SEAFOOD RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan heat the chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to use. In a large heavy pot heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over moderate heat. Small children can help by taking paper off butter, cutting 2 tablespoons with butter knife, and dropping it into the pot. Small children should be highly supervised over each step that involves any type of gadget or working near a heat source. Add half of the onions to the pot and cook until clear, about 5 to 8 minutes. If you have older children, they can begin wiping off the shiitake caps with a damp cloth, removing the stems, cutting off the end, slicing the stems lengthwise and then slicing the caps.
• Add the rice to the onions and stir to coat. Small children can do this well once they practice and learn a controlled stirring motion. "Slow and steady" can be repeated until they get the hang of it.
• Add 1/3 cup white wine and stir until completely absorbed. Constant stirring will be required from here on out to make a good risotto. Have the children equipped with a long handled ladle and a deep oven mitt carefully dip the ladle into the broth and pour it into the rice. Stir continuously until the stock is absorbed. Repeat over and over using as much stock as necessary until the rice is cooked through but not mushy. The risotto should be creamy, slightly soupy but not watery.
• Meanwhile, in a medium skillet heat 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil until melted. Add the other half of the chopped onion and stir to coat. Have the children cut the red pepper with table knives into strips and then crosswise into small even squares. Add the diced pepper to the onion and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the shiitakes and cook until any liquid evaporates. Add the fresh seafood and cook until just done.
• Stir the sauteed seafood and vegetables into the pot of risotto. Grated Parmesan can be stirred into the risotto or served on top at the table. Cover until ready for service.

ASIAN SEAFOOD RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add lemon grass, ginger, garlic and shallots and sauté over low heat until soft. Meanwhile, place coconut milk, stock, 1/2 cup wine, fish sauce and lime juice in another saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer.
• Add rice to saucepan with lemon grass and cook, stirring, a minute or two. Add remaining wine and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk mixture and stir until it is absorbed, then continue adding the mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Rice should be al dente after about 15 minutes.
• Stir in shrimp; cook until they turn pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Fold in mint. Season with salt and pepper and divide among soup plates. Serve.

RISOTTO WITH SHRIMP AND PEAS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, simmer stock. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil. Add onion, and sauté until it softens. Add rice, and stir to coat. Add the wine, and cook until liquid is absorbed.
• Add one cup simmering stock to rice. Stirring often, cook over medium-low heat until liquid is absorbed. Repeat with second cup, and continue cooking, stirring often. Repeat with third cup.
• As rice becomes soft but firm, add last cup of stock. If peas are large, add them and cook about 4 minutes. Then add shrimp. If peas are small and tender, add them along with shrimp. Cook shrimp just 3 or 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve, with cheese if desired.

SEAFOOD RISOTTO

Steps:

• Place mussels in a saucepan with 1/2 cup chardonnay. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Reserve 4 mussels in shells, shuck remainder, and strain and reserve broth.
• Heat oil in a heavy shallow saucepan. Add shallots and ginger, and sauté over low heat until soft. Stir in rice and cook briefly. Add remaining wine. When wine has been absorbed by rice, add mussel liquid. Cook over medium-low heat until it is absorbed, then gradually add fish stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until rice is nearly al dente but still moist and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in scallops and shrimp, and cook about 5 minutes, until seafood is cooked. Stir in shucked mussels, butter and chives. Divide among 4 shallow soup plates, garnish each portion with a mussel in the shell, and serve.

TOMATO AND BASIL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Put your stock or broth into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat, with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that it is well seasoned.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet or a wide, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and garlic and cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle. Stir in the grated tomatoes, sugar, thyme, and salt to taste and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and coat the rice, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated and been absorbed by the rice. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice, and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock and stirring when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often and when you do, stir vigorously. When the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy (al dente), in 20 to 25 minutes, it is done. Taste now and adjust seasoning.
• Add another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in the additional finely diced tomatoes, basil and Parmesan and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn't). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.

LEMON SEAFOOD RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the leek and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.
• Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth, and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes, continuing to stir. Pour in the remaining chicken broth and wine, increase heat to medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the scallops, shrimp, peas, and red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the remaining liquid is almost absorbed, and the seafood has cooked, about 5 minutes. When the rice is just tender and slightly creamy, season with Parmesan cheese, basil, lemon juice, and pepper.

SHRIMP RISOTTO

Steps:

• Bring the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan; keep at a gentle simmer.
• Meanwhile, heat a wide saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, shallots, and garlic and cook until the shallots have softened, about 2 minutes. Pour in the rice and cook, stirring pretty much constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, so the rice can drink up the oil. When it's ready for the next step, the rice will make a different sound as you stir it, almost as if you are stirring tiny pebbles.
• Pour in the wine and stir. Season with salt and white pepper and bring to a simmer. Now's the time to start monitoring the heat. You want the liquid at a steady simmer, moving but not bubbling away like a lunatic. Stir often, scraping the bottom of the pan. When most of the wine has been absorbed - when you scrape across the center of the pan, you'll leave a moat - ladle in 1 cup of the shrimp stock. Keep at a simmer, stirring away until the rice drinks up most of this liquid. Continue the process, adding stock by the cupful, until you've added 3 cups of stock.
• Add the shrimp and tomatoes with the last cup of stock and simmer until the rice is al dente and still saucy.
• Divide the risotto among four soup plates. Spoon a ribbon of basil oil around the risotto in each bowl. Serve immediately.