I found this recipe in Famous Footwear’s in-house magazine Mind Body Sole. Really! But you know me, I’m willing to try anything if it looks good. We’re now on Cycle 3 of the 17-day diet which allows us to have carbs at dinner. So why not? The author of this recipe calls it a mock risotto or fauxsotto, which I hoped would not taste like shoe leather, just because it’s made with instant brown rice rather than arborio rice. As if rice wasn’t rice. Anyway I am quibbling. It’s the English teacher in me. It was a satisfying meal, tasty, but too soggy for my taste–instant rice just does not hold up well to “stirring often” required for a risotto, even a fake one. Anyway I like rice al dente. I think I will reduce the liquid by one cup the next time I make this. In order to clean out the fridge and freezer in the Teeny Tiny Apartment I made my own chicken broth out of bones, scraps, and leftover vegetables.
5 cups low fat reduced sodium chicken broth
¾ cup dry white wine
6 tablespoons butter substitute
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ to ½ teaspoon dried crushed pepper
¾ pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ cup finely chopped shallots
1 ½ cups instant brown rice
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup cut asparagus
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
¼ cup fat free chive and onion cream cheese
½ cup low fat herbed goat cheese
Salt and pepper
Warm broth and wine. Keep broth warm in a saucepan on the stove top. Warm ¼ cup wine in the microwave.
Cook shrimp. Melt 2 tablespoons butter substitute in a skillet over medium heat. Add half the garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté 30 seconds. Add shrimp and sauté until the shrimp just turns pink, about 2 minutes. Add remaining ½ cup wine. Simmer until shrimp are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook shrimp. Drain shrimp, reserving cooking liquid.
Make rice. Melt 4 tablespoons butter substitute in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and remaining garlic; sauté until shallots are pale golden in color, about 4 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat, about 2 minutes. Add 1-2 cups broth. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding broth ½ cup at a time, stirring often and simmering until liquid is absorbed before adding more, about 20 minutes total.
Add cheeses. Make sure there is a little liquid left at the bottom of the skillet and stir in cream cheese and goat cheese. Place peas and asparagus in a layer on top of the rice. Cover and allow remaining liquid to steam vegetables.
Put on the finishing touches. Uncover and cook until rice is just tender and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add a final shot of white wine. Stir in reserved shrimp cooking liquid. Add shrimp. Remove from heat.
Serve. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley into risotto. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to plates. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon parsley.
