Blackened Shrimp Over Bell Pepper Risotto

If you have never had risotto, you are missing out! Risotto is rice that is cooked slowly by gradually adding liquid during the cooking process rather than adding the rice to already boiling liquid and steaming it. It's not hard to make, just requires a bit of attention. You can make all different kinds of risotto, by changing up the vegetables, spices and cheeses.



This risotto will be flavored with onions, bell peppers, jalapenos and garlic. A tangy Vermont white cheddar cheese is added at the end of the cooking process to add extra creaminess and flavor. First you will need chicken or beef broth, depending on your other ingredients. You will need approximately 6 cups of broth to 1 cup of uncooked rice.



The kind of rice to use when making risotto is important. You want to use a short grain, semi-round or round rice. You do not want to use long grain rice or minute rice.




In a large skillet on medium-low, add a tablespoon of butter and olive oil each. Pour in your uncooked rice and saute it until it is just golden.

In a separate saucepan, warm up all of your broth on low. Add one ladle at a time of broth to the rice, stirring constantly. Once the rice starts to soak up all the broth, add another ladle. This should take around 20 minutes to cook.

You can see the rice puffing up and absorbing all the stock. Add in your flavoring ingredients. In this risotto I am using sauteed garlic, onions, bell peppers and jalapenos. Other options are sauteed mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, just use your imagination.

You want to add your other ingredients after you add your last ladle of broth.

Once your last ladle of broth is soaked up by the rice, add your cheese, or mixture of cheeses. In this risotto, I used Vermont white cheddar cheese, which has a really sharp flavor. You can use almost any kind of fresh grated cheese in risotto. You just want to match your cheese up with your other ingredients.

Now for the shrimp! Get some browning sauce, I love this stuff! I use it on chicken, shrimp and beef. A little goes a long way!

On medium high heat in a large skillet, drizzle some olive oil and throw in some raw, peeled, de-veined shrimp with tails removed. Sprinkle some kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper and pour in a tablespoon or two of browning sauce. Cook for no more than two minutes on each side. Many people over cook shrimp, they do not need any more than 2 minutes a side. Over cooking shrimp will make them have a very rubbery texture.

Pour your risotto on a plate and top with shrimp and any leftover sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Short-grain round rice

Broth (beef or chicken)

Cheese (the cheese of your choice)

Peppers (or onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, you choose the flavors!)

Olive Oil

Butter
Shrimp (you can also add chicken or steak over the rice as well)
Browning sauce

Salt

Fresh cracked black pepper