Not Risotto With Shrimp and Winter Squash
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- 3ounces shrimp, heads split
- 1red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 2medium tomatoes, chopped and kept separate
- 2cloves garlic, 1 smashed and 1 chopped
- 1cup short-grain rice, like arborio
- 1cup fresh purée of winter squash, like butternut
- Chopped chives or sprouts for garnish
- Fresh lime juice
Preparation
- Step 1
Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp and ⅓ of the sliced red onion. Cook until browned, at least 5 minutes. Turn the heat to high, and add salt, 1 tomato and the smashed garlic clove; continue cooking for another minute. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, thickening slightly. Use an immersion blender to purée the mixture, then strain it. (This is your shrimp purée.)
- Step 2
Carefully wipe the skillet clean, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil; put the skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the remaining red onion and chopped garlic clove and sauté until they begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and coated with oil, about 2 minutes. Add the second tomato, and let its liquid bubble away.
- Step 3
Using a ladle, alternately add the shrimp purée, the squash purée and about 1½ cups water to the skillet, about ½ cup or so at a time, stirring after each addition. When the liquid is just about evaporated, add more. The mixture should be neither soupy nor dry; stir frequently, keeping the heat at medium to medium-high.
- Step 4
Begin tasting the rice about 20 minutes after you add it. You want it to be tender with a bit of bite; it can take as long as 30 minutes to reach this stage. When it does, adjust the seasoning. Serve with chopped chives or sprouts and fresh lime juice.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
What does "heads split" mean? Removed? Or split and included in the puree?
Unsure. I pulled the heads and shells off, deveined the shrimp, then snipped the front half of the shrimp heads off (hard pincers, antennae and eyes) and used the other half of the heads, shells, and cleaned shrimp to make the “puree” Tho it ended up being more like a stock than a puree given the limited power of my immersion blender. I would blend in a blender next time although you still get a lovely stock and the squash puree ended up quite thick.
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