Sweet Corn Risotto w/ Sauteed Shrimp

Comforting, creamy risotto is one of those dishes that isn’t difficult to prepare but it can be quite time consuming. I find it works best for me when I’m doing other things in the kitchen at the same time.

Risotto is typically made with arborio rice, but pearl barley is a good substitute; it produces a similar texture but with a nuttier taste.

Over the years, I have made various kinds of risotto. Brion is the eternal rice lover. He could eat rice everyday of the week. Even though his favorite is just plain white rice, I can’t resist adding risotto to the mix now and again.

As a rule, if you are using corn in risotto, it would probably be fresh. In February, ‘fresh’ is not happening in our part of the country yet. One of the most favorite canned vegetables in North America is corn. Personally, I love corn no matter if its canned, frozen or fresh. Without trying to sound like an advertisement, I found that Green Giant Steam Crisp was real nice for this recipe. It’s supposedly picked at its peak and then quickly steamed in the can to preserve as many vitamins and nutrients as possible. I added some bacon and mushrooms to give it some extra pizzazz!

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Sweet Corn Risotto w/ Sauteed Shrimp

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course

Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

American, Italian, Spanish

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 3 cups PLUS 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 strips bacon, chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 150 gm fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 large green pepper
• 1 small white onion, minced
• 1 cup pearl barley or arborio rice
• 341 ml Green Giant Steam Crisp corn, drained
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
• 300 gm WILD, jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Course Lunch, Main Dish Cuisine American, Italian, Spanish Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 3 cups PLUS 1/4 cup chicken broth 3 strips bacon, chopped 1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter 150 gm fresh mushrooms, sliced 1/2 large green pepper 1 small white onion, minced 1 cup pearl barley or arborio rice 341 ml Green Giant Steam Crisp corn, drained 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped salt & pepper to taste 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 small shallot, minced 1 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed 300 gm WILD, jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth to a simmer.
2. In another large saucepan, saute bacon until lightly browned but not crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain off fat & wipe out pan with paper towels.
3. Add butter to pan & melt over medium heat. Saute mushrooms until moisture evaporates; add onion & green pepper. Saute for 5 minutes or until tender crisp then add barley (or rice) & hot chicken broth; simmer, stirring occasionally until all broth is absorbed, 15-20 minutes. If you need to make more broth, do so but be sure it is hot before adding it.
4. When barley (or rice) is cooked & broth is absorbed, remove from heat & stir in corn, butter, Parmesan & parsley. Season with salt & pepper & transfer to a large bowl.
5. Add remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil to skillet & heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic, shallot & red pepper flakes & cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp & cook until pink & beginning to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth & let simmer until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt & pepper & stir in basil. Add risotto & bacon back to skillet, stirring to combine with shrimp. Serve.