Seafood Risotto for #SundaySupper with Cristina Ferrare

What are you cooking for Sunday Supper? Need ideas? Today is your lucky day! 15+ bloggers are sharing recipes by Cristina Ferrare from her Big Bowl of Love cookbook. It is a beautiful book filled with the most gorgeous photography and delectable recipes. I could look through the book for hours. Many of the recipes have helpful cook’s notes with ideas for variations, tips, or tools to use. It is like getting recipes from a good friend.

The one dish that stuck out for me is risotto. It is probably because it has been far too long since I had a good one. I am often disappointed in what some restaurants call risotto. It is not regular long grain rice with a thick sauce. Risotto has a special texture and is usually made with arborio or carnaroli rice that has a high starch content giving it the creaminess. It takes time to make risotto to let the liquids slowly absorb into the rice. Stir, stir, stir, and stir some more.

Risotto is a versatile dish. It is a base to which you can add numerous foods like vegetables, mushrooms, and in my case – seafood. Shellfish is a very tasty addition. I chose shrimp, scallops, and lump crab to go in mine. I also added asparagus for some color and it went well with the seafood. As Cristina states in the cook’s notes for this recipe: “Grilled seafood such as shrimp along with the saffron is a winning combination too!”. I did not grill the shrimp though. I chose to cook it in the risotto. Mmmm….seafood:

Are you craving seafood yet? Oh yea! After you take a look at the recipe below, be sure to check out these recipes from Cristina’s cookbook prepared by wonderful Sunday Supper bloggers:

• Tomato Mozzarella Tower with Shallot Bacon Dressing, Chicken Marsala with Angel Hair Pasta and Melon Medley with Lemon Sorbet – The Primlani Kitchen
• Roasted Beet and Wild Arugula Goat Cheese Salad – Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Spaghetti and Meatballs – Juanita’s Cocina
• Seabass with Soy Glaze and Cucumber Salsa – Beetle’s Kitchen Escapades
• Pesto Pasta – Katherine Martinelli
• Salad Dressings – BG Garden
• Marinated Artichoke Hearts – Cookistry
• Chicken Picatta Over Pasta – Family Foodie
• Grilled Orange-Ginger Chicken Breasts – Supper For A Steal
• Fall Off The Bone Chicken Thighs – The Lovely Pantry
• Risotto With Fresh Peas and Asparagus – Big Bear’s Wife
• Strawberry Shortcake – The German Foodie
• Double Chocolate Chip Cookies – Mrs Mama Hen
• Cheesecake with Fresh Berries – The Messy Baker
• Rice Pudding – Rambling Notebook
• Rich and Chocolaty Brownies – The Daily Dish Recipes
• Strawberry Shortcake – That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Flourless Chocolate Cake – Baker Street
• Wine parings for the recipes – Wine Everyday

Big thanks to Cristina for allowing Sunday Supper bloggers to share her mouth-watering recipes! Cooking the risotto was easy and it came out absolutely delicious. I cannot wait to try more recipes from the cookbook.

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Seafood Risotto

Recipe adapted from Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love Cookbook (page 109 - Risotto). Recipe courtesy Cristina Ferrare. A seafood risotto recipe made with crab, shrimp, scallops, and asparagus.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Renee

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 cups chicken stock heated through
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion diced small
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 pound small shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1/3 pound bay scallops
• 8 ounces jumbo lump crab meat
• 1 to 2 cups asparagus tips
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Zest from 1 lemon

Instructions

1. Combine the chicken broth and saffron in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
2. Heat a stock pot over medium-high heat until warm (about 30 seconds). Add oil, butter, onions, and salt. Saute just until the onions turn translucent and are soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups of the warm broth and the wine to cover the rice. Mix well. Bring to a gentle boil over low heat, and boil gently until the liquid is almost gone.
4. Stir in 3 more cups of broth, stirring every 3 minutes, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed.
5. Add 1 1/2 cups more broth, 1/2 cup every 3 to 4 minutes, to keep the rice mixture creamy.
6. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is cooked through but still a bit firm in the center, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the scallops and cook for 3 minutes. Gently stir in the crab meat, asparagus, Parmesan cheese, and lemon zest. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

A seafood risotto recipe made with crab, shrimp, scallops, and asparagus.