Relationship Risotto – Lobster & Shrimp Risotto | Vicki James

As my husband and I worked together to prepare out Valentine’s Day repast, it occurred to me that relationships are a lot like making risotto.  Making risotto takes patience.  Making risotto can’t be rushed.  The process by which dry, ordinary looking rice becomes something rich, creamy and satisfying is somewhat magical.  Most importantly, making risotto and maturing relationships takes love.  Lots of love and care.  A willingness to put in some effort to achieve a wonderful result.

We cooked at home on Valentine’s Day because we didn’t feel it was safe to dine in a restaurant.  Also, because we knew our risotto was likely to taste much better than anything we could order elsewhere.  We have made shrimp risotto many times, but this time we decided to throw lobster into the mix.

We purchased two 5 oz. frozen lobster tails.  We had some frozen raw shrimp on hand. Obviously, fresh seafood would be even better, but the combination tasted luxurious in the end product.  Four tablespoons of cream cheese stirred in at the finish, added an extra touch of lusciousness.  The risotto was absolutely scrumptious.  Without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

5 cups of broth, which can be a combination of chicken broth and seafood broth

½ cup of white wine

1 tbsp. Olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1 ½ cups of Arborio rice.  Arborio rice is essential.  Please don’t attempt my substitutes.

2  cold water lobster tails, approximately 5 oz. each, shelled and cut into bite-size pieces.

1/3 pound shrimp, peeled and cut in half

1 tbsp. Butter

4 tbsp. cream cheese

Zest of one lemon

Salt and pepper

Chopped flat leaf parsley

Chives and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Directions

Begin by combining your broths to make 5 cups.  I used half fish broth and half chicken broth.  Remove the lobster meat from the shells.  Add the shells to the broth and simmer for about thirty minutes.  If you shell your shrimp for the recipe, add the shrimp shells, too.  I used pre-peeled and deveined shrimp, so I had no shrimp shells to add. 

Strain the broth into a pot.  Discard the shells.  Keep the pot of broth warm over one of your stove burners while you prepare the risotto.  You will be adding it slowly as you go along.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium Dutch oven.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes.  When the garlic is soft, add the shrimp and lobster and ½ cup wine. 

After the seafood turns pink, drain it and reserve the cooking liquid.

Add 4 tablespoons butter to the Dutch oven.  When melted, add the chopped shallots and sauté over medium heat for about four minutes or until the shallots are soft and translucent.

Add the Arborio rice, and combine with the shallots and butter, stirring to coat the rice for about two minutes.

Add two cups of the broth, simmer and stir often until the broth is completely absorbed.  This when making risotto becomes a lot like developing a relationship.  This is when you have to put in the patience, having faith that the end result will be worth it.   

Continue adding the broth one cup at a time, simmering and stirring often until the broth is absorbed.  The simmer needs to be low and slow.  Total time to add the broth should be about 20 minutes.  

Stir in the reserved seafood cooking liquid and stir until absorbed, about five more minutes.

By this time, you should have a pot of creamy risotto.  

Stir in 4 tablespoons of cubed cream cheese, which should be nice and soft by now.  Once it melts, add the seafood and lemon zest.  Stir everything together and serve when warmed through.  Garnish with chopped Italian parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.  Technically, Italians do not use Parmesan cheese with seafood dishes, but don’t be a stickler.  We are here in the good old USA, so feel free to do what you makes you happy.

I had planned to serve roasted asparagus on the side, but when we finished making the risotto, we couldn’t wait to dive right in.  Wow!  Definitely a Valentine’s Day dinner to remember.  It’s a good dish for couples to make, because one can handle the stirring while the other makes sure all the ingredients go in in the proper order.  However, a single person should not have any problem making it by themselves.  They might want the comfort and creaminess of the risotto even more, since there’s something about Valentine’s Day that can make even the most contented singles feel a little on edge. Besides, when you come right down to it, there’s no relationship more important than the one you have with yourself.

So, why Arborio rice?  Arborio comes from the northwest Piedmont region of Italy, along with other short-grained rice.  Arborio contains a substance called amylopectin, which gives this rice its special creaminess.  

I looked up amylopectin in Wikipedia, which provides a highly technical explanation of its chemical properties.  I found it completely incomprehensible.  To eat it is to know it is to love it.  That’s all I need to understand.

I know I’m way behind, writing about a Valentine’s Day recipe when St. Patrick’s day is right around the corner.  But don’t wait for a holiday to enjoy this wonderful risotto.  If lobster doesn’t ring your chimes, you can make it with all shrimp, or add a cup of fresh lump crabmeat.  You’re only limited by your imagination.