Risotto Alla Crema Di Scampi
By: Frank Fariello
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009 - 5:26pm

Ingredients




1 half pound shrimp 
1 liter water
1 splash white wine
1 pinch salt
1 small onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 sprigs parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 splash brandy
200 grams crushed tomatoes
200 milliliters cream
400 grams arborio rice
1 shallot
1 splash olive oil
2 tablespoons butter

Preparation

1 To make enough risotto for 4 people, begin by making the fumetto di scampi: shell about 250g (or a half pound) shrimp. Take the shells (and heads if you have them) and put them in a saucepan with one liter (1 qt.) of water, a splash of white wine, a pinch of salt and the usual odori: a small onion, a carrot and a stick of celery, cut up into chunks, along with a few sprigs of parsley. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Then make the crema di scampi: sauté a lightly crushed garlic clove in a bit of olive oil. When the garlic just begins to give off aroma, add the shrimp and sauté them as well. When the shrimp have just turned pink, add a splash a brandy and allow it to evaporate. (Some recipes call for you to set light to the brandy.) If you like, remove a few shrimp—enough for one or two shrimp per p 2 Finally, make a normal risotto in bianco, with 400g of rice, using the usual technique (see the post of the ABCs of making risotto), beginning with a shallot or half a small onion sautéed in olive oil and using the remainder of the fumetto in place of the usual broth. About halfway through the cooking time, add the crema di scampi and continue with the cooking. (You can hold back a bit of the crema for garnish. When the rice is fully cooked, add a dab of butter and proceed to mantecare. Let the risotto rest, covered, for 2 or 3 minutes before serving. If you like, garnish with a spoonful of the crema di scampi, one or two sautéed shrimp and a pinch of finely chopped parsley.

About


An elegant risotto for a special occasion. It always makes a great impression.
NOTES: This risotto is another 'new' dish devised, like penna alla vodka, in the 1970s. And like penne alla vodka, it is based on a mixture of tomato and cream, sometimes called a salsa rosa or 'pink sauce'. It was apparently quite popular, for a time, for wedding banquets and other special occasions. Its popularity has waned somewhat, but, as I mentioned at the start, it is still a fixture on Roman restaurant menus. And it still makes for an elegant appearance. Fa sempre una bella figura, as they say in Italian: it always makes a good impression.

Comments:
Amy B.

yum!!! looks so good, thanks for sharing :-)
Mary Jane Flanagan

Wow, looks awesome!