I adopted this risotto recipe from a great book I purchased called The Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone. I also made lamb chops from this book. See Fairytale Slow-Cooker Lamb Shanks with White Beans. I still don’t really understand the whole slow cooker obsession and would rather use my dutch oven any day, but I admit it was a great tool to braise meats. I was surprised there’s a slow cooker recipe for risotto, but beware that this is not necessarily a pot that you should leave alone all day. It only takes about 2 hours total to make this – with about an hour in the slow cooker. I strongly recommend checking it and stirring the rice thoroughly so it cooks evenly.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to use a slow cooker, just toast the rice in a large heavy bottomed skillet and begin to add the broth in batches, continuously stirring until it is absorbed by the rice.
Wishing you a peaceful and healthy Happy Spring!
Ingredients:
For the risotto: 1/2 stuck of butter or margarine
1 onion, chopped
3 cups Arborio rice
3 cups kale, chopped into bite sized pieces
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup basil, chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
For the shrimp:
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
1 tablespoon of olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag of peeled shrimp (tails on or off, it doesn’t matter)
Directions:
Melt the butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until golden and soft for about ten minutes. Add the rice and stir, toasting for about 2 minutes.
Add the onion and rice to the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth. Cook for 40 minutes on high.
Meanwhile, melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the minced garlic for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes until pink. Set aside and cover with foil.
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| Be careful not overcook the risotto! |
