This seafood/vegetable risotto is a staple in Italy’s coastal areas. Cooking the zucchini separately from the risotto is necessary for the uniformity of the dish, otherwise it would get too soft. This way, the zucchini shares some textural consistency with the shrimp when they’re added together at the end.
A tip about cooking zucchini: Avoid stirring when in the pan, because they’ll break too easily. Toss the pan with a sharp whip of the wrist to move the zucchini around.
Ingredients:
Serves: 4-6/ Prep Time: 20 minutes / Cooking Time: 55-60 minutes
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 5 small zucchini, cubed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 cup Carnaroli rice
- 1 1/4 cups dry white wine
- 3/4 lb fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
Preparation:
- In a small pot, heat the stock over medium-low heat until just before boiling. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.
- In a deep 14-inch nonstick sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the zucchini and cook for about 15 minutes, until browned. Transfer the zucchini to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and foamy. Add the shallots and sauté for about 3 minutes, until tender.
- In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and foamy. Add the shallots and sauté for about 3 minutes, until tender.
- Add the rice and stir well, making sure all grains of rice are coated. Stir in 1 cup of the wine, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook it about 3 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly start adding the stock, a 4-to-6 ounce ladleful at a time, stirring constantly, giving the rice time to absorb the liquid each time before adding another ladleful, until the rice is al dente, 15 to 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper to taste, then add the chopped parsley and the remaining 1/4 cup wine.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 3 minutes, until the shrimp turns bright pink. Remove the shrimp from the pan and reserve the pan juices.
- Add the Parmesan, zucchini, and cooked shrimp to the rice and stir well. Add the juices from the shrimp pan and cook for 5 minutes, until the shrimp juices are absorbed, adding stock as necessary to prevent the risotto from drying out.
- Serve on plates sprinkled with parsley, Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil.
