Risotto with Artichokes, Saffron and Baby Shrimp
Since I discovered frozen artichokes I have been using them a lot and loving it, they obviously lack the depth of flavor that fresh artichokes have, but that’s ok, for now they are bringing smiles to my face. I was recently visiting my family in Atlanta and made my them a risotto with artichokes, baby shrimp and saffron.
Risotto with Artichokes, Saffron and Baby Shrimp
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ an onion, chopped finely
- 1 cup of Carnaroli or Arborio rice (Italians measure rice by demitasse cups, 1 cup for each person and one for the pot)
- 1 cup of dry white wine
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 a package of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
- 2 packets of saffron powder or a few threads of saffron
- ½ pound of baby shrimp, peeled and deveined
- a few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley (I used basil because we didn’t have any parsley, it was lovely)
- salt to taste
Chop the onion into fine pieces and bring the broth to a simmer. Heat a large stovetop casserole pan over medium-high heat and melt 1 tbsp butter at the bottom of the pan. When the butter is melted add onion and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add rice and coat it in the butter, toasting it a bit. When the rice becomes opaque, after about 1 minute, add the wine to the pan, enough to cover the rice, stir frequently.
When the rice has absorbed the wine, add the artichoke hearts and a ladleful of broth to the pan and continue stirring. Continue adding the broth as the rice absorbs it, you want it to almost dry out before adding the broth each time. Add the saffron powder or threads to the risotto towards the end of its cooking.When the rice is almost al dente, add the shrimp, they don’t need to cook for a very long time and you don’t want to overcook shrimp.
When the rice is finished it should be al dente and all of the liquid should be absorbed. Remove from heat and add the rest of the butter and the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
One Year Ago: Butternut Squash Soup, Risotto with Sausage, Baby Bellas and Saffron, & Fish Stew with Quinoa
Italicious 
If you like saffron, you will love this rigatoni with braised chicken and saffron cream. It is unbelievable.
http://michaelbeyer.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/rigatoni-with-braised-chicken-and-saffron-cream/
It looks really delicious. This is new to me because I haven’t tried adding artichokes in a risotto before. Thanks for sharing this recipe, I just love how wonderful it looks.