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Last week in culinary school I learned how to make a basic Risotto alla Parmigiana. A classic dish with a specific cooking technique that is not hard to perfect but important to master. Once mastered you can incorporate different ingredients and various flavor profiles. Needless to say, I added tea to the recipe, incorporated the English peas I got from the Farmer's Market (Pastures of Plenty) and mixed in shrimp I found in my freezer. I stirred in some Parmesan cheese and finished it with a touch of white truffle oil. The recipe is very similar to the one I illustrated last week except I placed EARL OF GREY tea in a cheese cloth and steeped it in the chicken stock. Once the risotto was 3/4's of the way finished, I took it off the stove and separately sauted the blanched peas and shrimp. Then finished cooking the risotto and folded in the peas, shrimp and finishing ingredients (cheese and truffle oil). The result...a creamy, earthy, tender yet firm risotto with hints of bergamont and citrus from the tea.
EARL OF GREY Risotto with Shrimp & English Truffled Peas
Portions: 10
Portion Size: 6-7 oz
Ingredients:
- 1 oz butter
- 1 fl oz Vegetable oil
- 1 oz onion, finely diced
- 1 lb Arborio rice (short grain)
- 2 qt Chicken Stock, hot
- 2 TBS EARL OF GREY, wrapped in cheese cloth
Finishing Ingredients:
- 3 oz butter, separated by oz (1 oz for peas, 1 oz for shrimp, 1 oz for finishing)
- 3 oz onion, finely diced & separated evenly
- 1.5 lb shrimp, deveined & peeled (option: tails on or off)
- 12 oz English peas, shelled & washed
- 2 TBS white truffle oil
- 4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
- SPTT (Salt and Pepper to taste)
Preparation:
- Blanch peas: Bring salted water to boil. Add peas and cook 4-6 minutes, should be tender yet firm. Remove peas from boiling water and shock them in ice cold water to stop cooking. Reserve.
- In a medium pot, bring chicken stock with EARL OF GREY tea wrapped in cheese cloth to boil.
- Over medium-high heat, melt butter and oil in a large, straight-sided saute pan. Add the onion, sweat until soft and translucent. Do not brown.
- Add the rice and saute until well coated with butter, oil and onion.
- Using a 6-oz ladle, add one ladle of stock to rice at a time and gently stir over medium heat until the rice absorbs all the liquid. Repeat procedure until 3/4 of stock is absorbed, reserving the last 1/4 stock until ready to serve. Do not add more then one ladle of stock at a time and do not sir too much. Remove pan from heat and reserve until peas and shrimp are cooked.
- Melt 1 oz butter in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Sweat 1.5 oz onions, add peas and coat with butter. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and reserve
- Melt 1 oz butter in the same large saute pan over medium-high heat. Sweat 1.5 oz onions, add shrimp and coat with butter. Cook until pink yet translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and let stand.
- Place risotto mixture back over heat and add the remaining chicken stock one ladle at time, stirring gently. Stop adding stock when the rice is tender but still a little firm in the center. It should look moist and creamy, but not runny. Remove from heat.
- Place shrimp back over medium heat combine reserved peas. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Turn off stove and drizzle with tuffle oil. Gently stir to combine.
- Fold the shrimp mixture into the risotto, add butter and Parmesan cheese. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately on a heated platter.
I left the shrimp tails on because I think they add another level of texture and a slightly salty flavor to the dish. My husband on the other hand thought they should have been discarded because they were messy and ruined the presentation...what would you do & why?
