Shrimp risotto with all the flavors of paella.

This mouthwatering dish has all the classic flavours of Spanish paella but is made using arborio rice with all the fabulous techniques of risotto. I usually keep arborio rice in hand since it's the closest you can get to paella rice and find here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Making risotto takes a little bit of patience and you also have to make sure everything that's going into the dish is prepared ahead of time. The last thing you need is to be chopping anything when cooking risotto. Both paella and risotto have a spectacular and delicious creamy consistency, so make sure to always use the proper (starchy) rice when making them.



Ingredients
2 cups arborio rice
9 to 10 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
1 large onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato peeled, chopped, and seeded
1/2 small red bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen or fresh peas
2 tablespoons chopped corriander
1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
1/4 teaspoon tumaric powder
1/2 teaspoon Spanish saffron
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Additional ingredients
1/2 kilo shrimp (washed, peeled, and devained)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped corriander


Directions
Heat your chicken stock over medium high heat until it comes to a boil, lower the heat to low and keep to simmer. Melt your butter with the olive oil in a large non stick pan/skillet. Add your chopped onion and season with salt, cook for 3 minutes then add your chopped bell peppers. Cook until the onions become translucent. Add the tomatoes, garlic, corriander and cook for approximately 3 minutes. Stir in the rice, paprika, tumeric, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the ends of the rice are transparent, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of chicken stock mixed with your saffron and cook until it is completely absorbed, 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Once the first 3 cups of broth have been absorbed add 2 cups of broth and cook again stirring frequently until the broth is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is almost dry (7 to 8 minutes. Taste the rice for salt and texture. Add 1 cup of broth and continue cooking using the same method as before. Be careful never to let the bottom of the pan dry out. Continue to add 1 cup of broth at a time, stirring until each addition of broth has been absorbed. Once you get to the 7th cup of broth, stirr in your peas and continue to cook. Meanwhile add 1 tablespoon butter to a non stick skillet and cook your shrimp for approximately 2 to 3 minutes or just until they begin to turn pink. Add the shrimp to the rissoto after the 7th cup of broth has been absorbed. At this point cook the rissoto stirring frequently but adding only 1/2 cup of broth at a time. You may or may not use all the broth. Begin tasting the rice after the 6th cup of broth is obsorbed. Risotto should still have a little bite to it (al dente), and must never be too soft or mushy. Vigorously stir in 1 tablepoon of butter and 1 tablespoon chopped corriander and stir until the butter has melted. Serve hot with lemon wedges.