When Life Hands You Lemons...

... make lemon risotto! (Or, if you prefer something sweeter, Slammin' Citrus Squares.) I love risotto and am always eager to try new recipes. When I saw this recipe for lemon risotto on Williams-Sonoma, I immediately bookmarked it. So when I found a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer and decided to make the marinated grilled shrimp, this seemed like the perfect accompaniment. I was not disappointed. The creamy, lemony flavor of this dish complimented the shrimp really well.

Next time, I will probably half this recipe, because it's just the two of us and this recipe yielded quite a bit. If you've never made risotto before, I highly recommend you try it. If you decide to go for it, make sure you check out my tips for making risotto here.

Lemon Risotto
from Williams-Sonoma

3 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian)
5 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. minced shallots
2 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup coarsely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus shaved cheese for garnish
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh chervil (optional)

In a saucepan over high heat, combine the chicken stock and 3 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and maintain a simmer.

In another saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter with the olive oil. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it is opaque, about 3 minutes. Add about 3/4 cup of the simmering stock, adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring, until most of the stock is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Continue adding the stock, about 3/4 cup at a time and stirring constantly, until all but about 1/2 cup of the stock has been used, the rice is nearly tender and still slightly firm in the center, and the mixture is creamy, 20 to 25 minutes.

Add the lemon juice to the remaining 1/2 cup stock and add the mixture, little by little, to the rice along with the remaining 3 Tbs. butter, the lemon zest and the grated cheese, always stirring constantly. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt.

Stir in the chervil. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with shavings of cheese and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 Servings.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Christmas Entertaining,by Georgeanne Brennan (Simon & Schuster, 2005 ).