Valentine’s Seafood Risotto

Mr. Jones and I have a Valentine’s Day tradition that I’m pretty fond of. It started when we both had to work on our first Valentine’s together (in college), so we couldn’t go out to eat anywhere. Luckily, we worked together at one of the student hangouts on campus, so we spent most of the evening playing scrabble and serving coffee. One by one, our friends began returning from their dates, complaining about the long waits and crowded restaurants. And we decided — we didn’t want to mess with all of that. Instead, we would cook some sort of crazy, extravagant dinner for ourselves and enjoy each other’s company without reservations or loud dining rooms.

It’s a pretty good plan. I’m sure we’ll end up making adjustments when we have kids underfoot someday, but for now, we have a blast picking out the unusual dish we’re going to cook up and knowing that we aren’t waiting in any lines.

This year, we did seafood risotto, roasted asparagus, and a brie cheese plate. We’ve never attempted risotto before, but it turned out deliciously. Yes, it’s a lot of stirring, but that’s part of what makes it the perfect “team” recipe — when one of you gets tired of stirring, just trade off!

The recipe we used is below, and it turned out wonderfully without any adjustments. Though, I will give you a hint: if you happen to have any brie around, it’s pretty fabulous to put a little on your fork before scooping up a bite of risotto. So scrumptious.

Seafood Risotto

Bon Appétit | August 1998
Yield: Serves 6

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 8-ounce bottles clam juice
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
• 3/4 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 pound bay scallops
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Combine 2 1/2 cups water and bottled clam juice in medium saucepan. Bring to simmer. Keep warm over low heat.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until light golden, about 4 minutes. Add rice; sauté 2 minutes. Add wine; stir until liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add stewed tomatoes; cook until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.

As you slowly stir in liquid, the risotto will absorb it, becoming gradually creamier

2. Add 1 cup clam juice mixture to rice. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding clam juice mixture by 1/2 cupfuls until rice is tender but still slightly firm in center and mixture is creamy, simmering until liquid is absorbed before each addition and stirring often, about 25 minutes. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, scallops and garlic and sauté until shrimp and scallops are opaque in center, about 6 minutes. Mix seafood into rice. Cook 3 minutes longer. Remove risotto from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Stir in chopped parsley and serve.

There are a number of comments in the recipe’s reviews with suggestions and tweaks, and some of them sound pretty delicious. I’m excited to try it again, with some more creative changes next time. Either way, risotto is a great bet when you have someone to keep you company (and help you sitr) in the kitchen.