Creamy Garlic Basil Risotto with Shrimp and Blistered Cherry Tomatoes
August 25, 2020
I don’t care who you are— if you whip up some homemade risotto with fresh herbs, you will automatically seem like an elevated home cook who’s got their sh*t together. Risotto is known for being time consuming and difficult to make, but I have a really fun secret to tell you!!! It’s not hard. At all. And it’s a myth that you have to stand and stir every 2 minutes for 30 minutes in order to make risotto. I mean, yes, that is a traditional way to make risotto and you can do it that way, which will yield a great final product. However, it’s not 100% necessary to do that in order to achieve peak risotto deliciousness. That’s all I’m here to tell you. I’m also here to tell you that you can do it!!!! I used to refrain from making risotto for such a long time because I was so intimidated by it. The first time I made it, I was taken aback by my emotions. 1) I was shocked at how great it was and how easy it was to make 2) I was angry that so many people scared me away from making it on my own for so many years. Remember, I grew up in a household where I ate cereal and frozen dinners. My mom knew how to make pasta and that’s it,. Anything else, we ordered in. It was awesome, but it did impact my view of cooking until I was an adult. So, that being said, you can trust me when I say something is easy to make.
If you’re nervous about making risotto, I actually have a tutorial on YouTube on how to make my creamy artichoke and kale risotto (kind of similar to this recipe and worth checking out.) After watching this video, I think you’ll feel a teensy more confident in whipping this up! And, if you want to see how to make risotto in live time, I am making this exact dish on Amazon LIVE
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
| For the risotto | |
| 2tbsp olive oil | |
| 1 white onion, finely chopped | |
| 4cloves garlic, minced | |
| 1 1/2cups arborio rice | |
| 1/4cup dry white wine | |
| 4cups chicken broth or stock | |
| 1/4cup half and half | |
| 2tbsp butter | |
| 1bunch basil, finely chopped, reserve about 2-3 tbsp whole leaves for topping | |
| 1 1/4cup grated Parmesan | |
| Salt, to taste | |
| For the shrimp and tomatoes | |
| 1tbsp olive oil | |
| 1cup cherry tomatoes | |
| Pinch of salt | |
| 1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined | |
| 1/4cup white wine | |
| 1/2tsp dried parsley | |
| 2tbsp unsalted butter |
Equipment
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pot medium-high heat.
Add onion, season with salt and sauté until fragrant and slightly golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add rice, cook and toast it for 2 minutes
Add wine and deglaze the pan, stir and cook to evaporate.
Add all of the chicken broth, mixing every 3-4 minutes as the rice begins to soak in the broth. Continue cooking until the rice is al dente and the liquid as mostly evaporated. During this cooking process, work on the tomatoes and shrimp (instructions below.)
Add the half-and-half and remove the pot from heat.
Notes
If you're vegetarian, feel free to skip the shrimp and top with a vegetable of your choice.
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