Saffron Risotto with Grilled Shrimp

As you may have been able to tell from my lack of posts lately, I have not been spending enough quality time in the kitchen. I hope to remedy that soon, but for the next week or two, posts may be scarce. However, having a long weekend has been wonderful and allowed me to spend a bit of time in the place I truly belong. Part of the problem has been that the income of this particular Hollywood assistant is slim to none, but yet surprisingly I found myself with all of the ingredients to make this recipe. It is super simple and the only thing it really requires is a bit of time for watching the risotto. The best part is that this reminds me of one of my favorite dishes I had while vacationing in Greece. On our last day at Panormos beach in Mykonos, a couple of us feasted on an amazing saffron risotto with seafood so I was super excited to be able to recreate this at home. If I close my eyes, I can just picture us at the amazing beach being conned out of all our Euros to buy some souvenirs for our friends ;) Seriously though, it was an amazing time and I hope to go back some day.




Saffron Risotto with Grilled Shrimp
(Lightly adapted from Forking Delicious)

For the Risotto:
5 cups chicken stock (I used 4 cups of stock and 1 cup of water)
2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2 pinches saffron threads
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Kosher salt

For the shrimp:
Large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on if desired
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Preheat a grill or indoor grill pan to high.

Toss the shrimp with the oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, set aside.

Heat chicken stock over medium-high heat until just simmering. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sweat until translucent, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and saffron, turning to coat in the oil and sauté until the edges of the rice begin to look slightly translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pan is almost dry. Add one ladle-full of hot stock, stirring constantly until liquid is almost absorbed. Continue adding stock, one ladle at a time, stirring each addition until the liquid is almost absorbed, about 25 to 30 minutes total.

When the risotto is nearly done, toss the shrimp on the grill and sear until pink, opaque and curled in on themselves, about 2 minutes per side. Spritz the shrimp with more lemon juice when it comes off the grill. When the risotto is done, stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. To serve, ladle risotto into onto a plate or bowl and top with the shrimp and then the parsley.