Shrimp and Spinach Risotto

Shrimp and Spinach Risotto

Here’s a creamy and comforting dish that’s a little easier on your waistline with those terms than say, mac and cheese. Although I wouldn’t be one to pass that up either! Risotto is typically made with a short-grained Italian rice called Arborio, which I used here. But if you can’t find that or it’s a bit spendy at your store, you could use a sushi rice or even Calrose. Even a plain ol’ medium grain white rice would work, but it won’t be as creamy.

Leaving the shrimp whole would make this dish quite a bit prettier to present, but let’s face it — who wants to be cutting up their shrimp when you have some hot and creamy spinach risotto waiting to dig into?! Have everything chopped/prepped up front for this. You’ll also want to use some homemade or high-quality chicken broth with this, along with a good dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio. A dish with a short shopping list needs quality for it to shine!

Shrimp and Spinach Risotto

4 cups homemade or good-quality chicken broth
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
A pinch or two of red chile flakes (optional)
6 ounces chopped fresh spinach
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup quality shredded Parmesan

Shrimp and Garlic

Heat the chicken broth in a saucepan or microwave until steaming. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste. Melt one tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the garlic and shrimp. Cook the shrimp for just a few minutes on each side, until starting to turn opaque. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, and cover to keep warm.

Risotto Beginnings

Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan, then add the chopped onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the rice and toss to coat. Cook for a few more minutes until the rice begins to color. Add the white wine and simmer and stir until the wine is completely absorbed by the rice. At this point, because I couldn’t resist, add a pinch or two of red chile flakes if you want.

Adding the Spinach

Using a ladle or measuring cup, add about 1/2 cup of hot chicken broth to the rice. Simmer and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Keep repeating this process, ensuring the liquid is absorbed before the next ladle, until the broth is almost gone, stirring constantly. Headphones with music is fun during this task, stir to the beat! Just before the last ladle of broth is used, stir in a tablespoon of butter, the spinach, shrimp, lemon juice, and then the Parmesan. Stir to completely combine, then add just enough of remaining broth to loosen it up. Stir until the spinach is wilted and the shrimp is cooked through, then serve immediately.

Good Quality Parmesan to Finish

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Wild Mushroom and Pea Risotto

Wild Mushroom and Pea Risotto

I wanted to use both Oyster and Shitake fresh mushrooms for this, but the dang bin at the store was cleared out of Shitake when I went there. So I got some baby Bellas instead. I’m finally back in the kitchen and this sounded like a great side to some quick pan-seared chicken Parmesan cutlets I had planned on making.

I made a slight oops on the amount of liquid per rice, but was able to boil it down to reduce the sauce in the risotto. It was still a bit soupy but we were all hungry. I have adjusted the recipe below accordingly. I’m glad to be back in the kitchen, I tell you. Back issues are getting resolved now and all that.

My daughter doesn’t like mushrooms so she picked them out of the risotto, but she ended up going back for two helpings of it! She also said the chicken was fantastic and wanted me to make it again although it was not a “recipe” per se. Just some seasonings, cutlets dredged in milk then coated with Panko and Parmesan. Sometimes kids are just that easy to please!

Note: This is made in a pressure cooker. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, the method to make stovetop risotto is widely available on the internet.

Wild Mushroom and Pea Risotto

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup finely diced onion
4 ounces mushrooms, any kind, sliced or kept whole if small
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup Arborio or California Pearl rice
4 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken broth
A few sprigs of thyme
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, from a block

Risotto Ingredients

Heat your pressure cooker (at minimum 3-quart size) over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, then add the chopped onions and mushrooms. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions

Add the dry white wine and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes more then add the rice, the chicken broth, and the sprigs of thyme.

Put on the lid to your pressure cooker and lock into place, then bring up the pressure to high according to manufacturer’s directions.

Once the pot is up to pressure, set the timer for 7 minutes. (I quickly pan-seared the coated chicken at this point.)

Pan-Seared Panko Parmesan Chicken

At the end of the 7 minute-timer, remove pressure cooker from heat and run the pot under cold water to release the pressure immediately. (Or if you have an electronic one, release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.) Don’t remove the lid until all pressure is released.

Peas and Cheese Added

Remove the sprigs of thyme and stir in the rest of the butter, the peas, and the half cup of Parmesan cheese. (You can reduce on stovetop if too soupy, but I did adjust the amount of liquid in the above recipe.)

Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese if you want and your protein of choice.

Wild Mushroom and Pea Risotto

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Shrimp Risotto with Cajun-Spiced Shrimp

Shrimp Risotto with Cajun-Spiced Shrimp

Ahhhh, risotto. It is such a lovely taste and texture but can be the bane of a cook who doesn’t have the time to bring it up to that incredible creamy  “ahhhh” in your mouth sensation. But if you are short on time, a pressure cooker will take all that “non-time” away to give you a perfectly creamy risotto, full of flavor. Add some Cajun-spiced shrimp on top, and tah-dah! Dinner served. In less than a half-hour. Job accomplished.

Shrimp Risotto with Cajun-Spiced Shrimp
Risotto recipe adapted from Perfect Risotto at bonafidefarmfood.com

For the Risotto:

1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup Arborio or California Pearl rice
4 to 5 cups shrimp stock, recipe here —> Homemade Shrimp Stock
1/2 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, from a block

Diced Onions ~ HEY! Who doesn’t eat microwaved popcorn while prepping dinner, huh???

For the Cajun-Spiced Shrimp:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Cajun-spiced seasoning, to taste
Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onion ends, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Get all your ingredients prepped. This doesn’t take long at all!

Prepping the Ingredients

Heat your pressure cooker (at minimum 3-quart size) over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter until hot, then add the chopped onions. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Wine Pouring Shot ~ Something went awry with my camera settings for this shot so you get the “Instagram” look!

Add the dry white wine and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes more then add the rice  and the shrimp stock.

Risotto Ready to Pressure Cook

Put on the lid to your pressure cooker and lock into place, then bring up the pressure to high according to manufacturer’s directions. (I have a manual one, that means when the pressure gauge starts rocking. Results may vary by what you have.)

My Pressure Cooker

Once the gauge is rockin’ (or up to pressure for you high-tech electronic owners), set the timer for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the shrimp. Add a tablespoon of butter to a hot skillet and heat until foamy. Add the garlic, then add the shrimp in one layer. Season with Cajun-seasoning of choice. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Don’t overcook! Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside until risotto is done.

Cajun-Spiced Shrimp

At the end of the 7 minute-timer, remove pressure cooker from heat and run the pot under cold water to release the pressure immediately. Don’t remove the lid until all pressure is released.

Stir in the rest of the butter and the half cup of Parmesan cheese.

Perfect Risotto

Serve Risotto in bowls , topped with the Cajun-Spiced Shrimp, and garnish with fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, green onions, and lemon wedges.

Shrimp Risotto with Cajun-Spiced Shrimp

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Black-Eyed Pea Risotto

Black-Eyed Pea Risotto

I usually make a big ol’ batch of black-eyed peas for New Year’s Day, but since I’m the only one who likes to eat them, I decided to mix it up and make this Black-Eyed Pea Risotto for lunch instead with a smaller batch of peas to see if I could at least get my husband to try them that way. No go. He had soup and grilled cheese instead.

I want to give my foodie friend Karen over at Back Road Journal a shout out for the inspiration to make this. She says it’s the only way she can get her husband to eat black-eyed peas, and was hoping it would be the same case for mine. He wouldn’t even taste them!

I used my homemade ham stock from the freezer to cook both the black-eyed peas and risotto. If you don’t have any ham stock, then you can substitute chicken broth instead. I also typically make my black-eyed peas from dried peas soaked overnight, but I used a half-bag of frozen instead. You could also substitute frozen with canned and not have to cook them as long. Last, I made my “Texas” version of the peas, spicing it up with bacon and jalapeño.

And I have a confession to make: This is the first time I’ve ever made risotto. It’s true, I swear! I’ve been wanting to try making it for many years, but always balked at the time it took standing and stirring at the stove. It really wasn’t that tedious of a process, plus it was interesting to watch the rice transform in texture over time. Now that I’ve leapt that hurdle, I’m hoping to try out some different risotto recipes I’ve bookmarked.

Black-Eyed Pea Risotto
Inspired by Black-Eyed Pea Risotto from Back Road Journal

1/4 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons real bacon bits
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces frozen black-eyed peas, or sub with one drained and rinsed can
Ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups homemade ham or chicken broth, divided
3 slices of jarred jalapeños, minced, plus a teaspoon of juice from jar
1/2 cup Arborio or short-grained uncooked rice

Cooking the Black-Eyed Peas

In a saucepan, saute the onion and bacon bits in one tablespoon of the olive oil for about 5 minutes, then stir in the jalapeño and juice. Add the black-eyed peas, then cover with 2 cups ham broth. Season with ground black pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about a half hour or longer, until the peas are tender. (If using canned, you only need to simmer for a few minutes and should probably cut down the broth by a lot.)

Meanwhile, microwave 2 cups of ham broth until piping hot. Add the other tablespoon of oil to a large skillet over medium heat and add the uncooked rice. Cook it for a few minutes until it starts to shimmer. Don’t let it brown.

Starting the Risotto ~ As you can see, it is still pretty white and firm

Pour in 1/2 cup of the hot ham broth and stir continuously until the broth is absorbed completely, about 10 minutes. Stir in another 1/2 cup of hot broth (microwave to reheat as needed) and stir until absorbed.

Risotto After Second Half-Cup of Broth~ You can see the rice is plumping up now and getting creamier

Continue this process of adding a half cup of broth and stirring until the two cups are used up. If needed, add more broth or water at the end until desired consistency is reached. (I had to do this due to our high altitude, it was still too al dente after using up the two cups.)

Ham Broth Risotto Almost Finished ~ It has developed a lot of color and creaminess now

Last, add the black-eyed pea mixture to the rice, stir until combined, and serve! That’s a whole lot of my own yumminess in a bowl!

Black-Eyed Peas and Risotto Mixed Together

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