Yellow Pepper Risotto With Shrimp And Zucchini Food

SHRIMP AND ZUCCHINI RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook for about 15 minutes. (I do not cook the zucchini with the risotto, as it would get too soft; by sauteing it on a higher flame I'm able to achieve a different texture, and I like it much better when added to the rice.) Remove the zucchini to a plate and reserve. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a second large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and foamy. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, to toast it. Stir in 1 cup wine, reduce the heat to a medium-low simmer and let the alcohol evaporate for about 3 minutes. Stir the rice constantly; do not get distracted and let it become dry. As the liquid gets absorbed, begin adding the vegetable broth, one ladle at a time.
• Meanwhile, as your risotto is cooking and while you are stirring, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet. When the butter is melted, add the shrimp and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add about three-quarters of the parsley and remaining 1/4 cup wine. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, and when the shrimp turn bright pink remove from the heat and set aside. Do not discard the juice.
• Once the risotto has cooked for 20 to 25 minutes, and as your vegetable broth is almost finished, start tasting the rice and feel its consistency. If it needs more time on the stove, you can ladle in some warm water to keep it going a few minutes more. Stir in a couple tablespoons of cheese, if using. (Italians do not like to see cheese and fish together, so I use Parmesan almost as a seasoning while I cook the rice.)
• If you've done everything right, this is the moment to stir in the already browned zucchini and the cooked shrimp; the sauce from the shrimp will help the risotto gain the final 5 minutes of cooking time without the need of any additional water.
• Ladle the risotto into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and drizzle with olive oil.
• Wine suggestion for this recipe: Pinot Grigio

YELLOW-PEPPER RISOTTO WITH SHRIMP AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Place bell peppers directly on a gas-stove burner over high heat, turning with tongs as soon as each side is blistered and blackened. (Alternatively, roast peppers under the broiler.) Transfer to a bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel peppers, discarding skins; cut in half, and discard seeds and ribs. Transfer peppers to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Puree until smooth; set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with 3/4 teaspoon salt, and season with black pepper. Arrange a third of the shrimp in a single layer in skillet. Cook until they are opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and shrimp, wiping out skillet with paper towels between batches, as needed. Set aside; cover loosely to keep warm.
• In same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add zucchini and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Cook until zucchini is just tender and bright green, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Place stock in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shrimp shells, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and strain through a fine sieve, discarding shells. Return stock to pan, and bring back to a boil; keep at a low simmer.
• Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook, stirring constantly, until they are soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, until grains are glossy and make a sound like glass beads clicking, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the wine to rice mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until wine is completely absorbed by the rice.
• Using a ladle, add about 3/4 cup hot stock to the rice along with a few tablespoons reserved pepper puree. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon at moderate speed until mixture is just thick enough to leave a clear wake behind spoon; be careful not to stir too vigorously, or mixture may become gluey.
• Continue adding hot stock 3/4 cup at a time along with some puree, stirring constantly, until rice is mostly translucent but still opaque in the center, a total of 18 to 25 minutes. As rice nears doneness, watch carefully to make sure it does not overcook. You may not need to use all of the stock and can add smaller amounts as you go along. The final mixture should be thick enough to suspend the rice in liquid that is the consistency of heavy cream.
• Remove from heat, and stir in reserved shrimp and zucchini, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and the basil. Season with salt and black pepper, and garnish with basil, if desired. Serve immediately.

MARTHA STEWART'S SPRING RISOTTO WITH PEAS AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Heat broth and 2 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan over low heat; keep warm. Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbs butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.
• Add zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often until zucchini is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer zucchini to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Raise heat to medium.
• Add rice; cook, stirring, until translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.
• Cook, adding 1 cup hot broth at a time (stir until almost all liquid is absorbed before adding more), until rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.
• Add zucchini and peas; cook until peas are bright green, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir in remaining tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Serve, topped with more cheese.

YELLOW PEPPER RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a skillet cook peppers in water and 2 tablespoons of butter, covered partially, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 20 minutes. Purée peppers in a food processor or blender and strain through a coarse sieve into a small bowl. Season purée with salt and pepper.
• In the cleaned skillet cook zucchini in 1 tablespoon remaining butter over moderate heat, stirring until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.
• In a saucepan heat broth and keep at a bare simmer.
• In a heavy 2- to 3-quart saucepan cook shallot and garlic in remaining 2 tablespoons butter over moderately low heat until very soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until edges become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until wine is absorbed. Add about 1/2 cup simmering broth and cook, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, and cooking, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in pepper purée, zucchini, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon of parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle risotto with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

RED PEPPER RISOTTO

Steps:

• Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan, with a ladle nearby. Season generously with salt.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, wide, heavy skillet or saucepan over medium heat and add the onions or shallots. Cook gently until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, peppers, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the peppers are limp and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir over medium heat until the grains are separate and beginning to crackle, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the wine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The wine should bubble, but not too quickly. You want some of the flavor to cook into the rice before it evaporates. When the wine has just about evaporated, stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock (about 1/2 cup), enough to just cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly (adjust heat accordingly). Rub the saffron threads between your fingers and add to the rice. Cook, stirring often, until the stock is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, not too fast and not too slowly, stirring often and adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, for 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked through but still a little chewy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• When the rice is cooked through, add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, and stir in another half cup of stock, the Parmesan and the herbs. Remove from the heat. The rice should be creamy; if it isn't, add a little more stock. Stir once, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.

YELLOW PEPPER RISOTTO WITH SHRIMP AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Place the bell peppers directly on a gas-stove burner over high heat, turning with tongs as soon as each side is blistered and blackened. (Alternatively, roast the peppers under the broiler.) Transfer to a bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel the peppers, discarding the skins; cut in half, and discard the seeds and ribs. Transfer the peppers to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Puree until smooth; set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with 3/4 teaspoon salt, and season with black pepper. Arrange one-third of the shrimp in a single layer in skillet. Cook until they are opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate; repeat with the remaining oil and shrimp, wiping out the skillet with paper towels between batches, as needed. Set aside, and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
• In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the zucchini and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Cook until the zucchini is just tender and bright green, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Place the stock in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and strain through a fine sieve, discarding the shells. Return the stock to the pan, and bring back to a boil; keep at a low simmer.
• Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook, stirring constantly, until they are soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the rice; cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are glossy and make a sound like glass beads clicking, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the wine to the rice mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is completely absorbed by the rice.
• Using a ladle, add about 3/4 cup hot stock to the rice along with a few tablespoons reserved pepper puree. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon at moderate speed until the mixture is just thick enough to leave a clear wake behind the spoon; be careful not to stir too vigorously, or the mixture may become gluey.
• Continue adding hot stock, 3/4 cup at a time, along with some puree, stirring constantly, until the rice is mostly translucent but still opaque in the center, a total of 18 to 25 minutes. You may not need to use all of the stock and can add smaller amounts as you go along. The final mixture should be thick enough to suspend the rice in liquid that is the consistency of heavy cream.
• Remove from heat, and stir in the reserved shrimp and zucchini, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and the basil. Season with salt and black pepper, and garnish with basil, if desired. Serve immediately.