Risotto

Fall says beets and we had a Roasted Beet Salad as a first course. We then made a wonderful Risotto with Shrimp and Red Peppers from TheBalthazar Cookbook by McNally, Nasr & Hanson. This year we have re-discovered this wonderful short cookbook. It is excellent!

Risotto WITH SHRIMP AND RED PEPPERS

The Balthazar Cookbook

McNally, Nasr & Hanson

6         cups Chicken Stock

6         roasted red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice

30       medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1-1/2   teaspoons salt

Freshly ground white pepper

4         tablespoons olive oil

2         tablespoons unsalted butter

½        yellow onion, minced

1         garlic clove, minced

2         cups Arborio rice

½        cup white wine

3         scallions, cut into 1/4-inch rings on a bias

2         tablespoons chopped fresh basil

½        cup grated Parmesan

Although risotto can share a plate with such diverse ingredients as shellfish, mushrooms, or butter and Parmesan, the method for making this creamy dish remains steadfastly the same, regardless of what you might add to it. Choose either Carnaroli or Arborio rice.

Serves 6

Bring 5 cups of the stock to a low simmer and keep warm on the stove until needed.

Meanwhile, combine the roasted red peppers with the remaining 1 cup of stock in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth; some very small pieces of pepper will remain.

Dry the shrimp with paper towels and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and a few grindings of white pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over a high flame for 1 minute. Add half the shrimp and cook for about 1-1/2 minutes per side, until they look like cooked shrimp. Remove with tongs to a plate and than sauté the remaining shrimp in the same oil. Set the cooked shrimp aside.

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium-low flame. Add the onion, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes, both to coat each grain and to toast gently. Add the wine and stir until it has been absorbed, about 1 minute.

Begin adding the warm chicken stock, about 1/2 cup at a time. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon and let each addition be absorbed before adding the next. When the last 1/2 cup of stock has been absorbed, add the sliced scallions. Then, in 3 increments, stir in the reserved red-pepper puree, again letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next. Taste the rice along the way, cooking it only until it's tender, not to where it's mushy.

Stir in the reserved shrimp, the basil, Parmesan, the remaining V2 teaspoon of salt, and white pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Partial   Cooking Of   Risotto

Risotto purists insist on the importance of the full cooking process just before serving. While that is ideal, it's not practical for the home cook who wants to spend time with guests, or for many restaurants where 20 minutes of stirring one dish would bring the pumping rhythm of the kitchen to a halt. To partially cook risotto, follow the recipe to the point where the rice is a firm al dente, reserving 1/3 of the Chicken Stock (2 cups). Spread the risotto on a sheet pan and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap. Just before serving, heat the reserved stock in a saucepan. Place the partially cooked risotto in a pot over medium-low heat and resume adding the stock according to the recipe completion.

Roasted Bell Peppers

We roast peppers using two different methods: over a flame and in the oven. Flame-roasting is convenient when roasting just a few peppers, because it's as simple as setting the pepper over a burner and allowing direct contact with the flame. While the whole pepper sits on the flame, the skin turns black, blisters, and is then easily rubbed off by hand. The pepper is then cored and sliced. Oven-roasting, however, produces a more mellow flavor, with a softer, moist flesh, preferable in fresh salads or on sandwiches. There's also the added benefit of being able to roast a whole pan's worth at once. Choose whatever method is most appealing according to need and convenience.

Makes   6   Peppers

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss the peppers with the olive oil. Lay the peppers, skin side up, on the lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the skin blisters and blackens. Remove from the oven, put the pep­pers in a bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. The accumulation of heat will cause the skins to bubble and separate from the flesh. When they're cool enough to handle, the skins can be pulled off easily.

Use immediately or store in the re­frigerator, submerged in olive oil and covered.

Ingredients

6  bell peppers, any color, cored and stemmed, cut into wide strips

½ Cup Olive Oil

2 teaspoons Salt