French Fridays with Dorie: Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

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I must confess - I'm not overly excited with two of the four French Fridays with Dorie recipes this month. Although this week's Asparagus with Bits of Bacon sounded fine, I took the liberty to transform it into Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto. You probably won't see me for Sardine Rillettes and Coconut Friands, but I will surely be back for Navarin Printanier, slowly braised lamb stew with fresh spring vegetables, and a classic staple of the Easter season.

This week's Asparagus with Bits of Bacon called for blanched asparagus, tossed in walnut oil and lemon juice, and garnished with bacon bits and quickly sauteed chopped onion. I simply added a few more ingredients, including some homemade shrimp stock taking up freezer space, and was able to stretch Dorie's side dish into a dinner entrée.

I blanched the asparagus, cut the stalks into small pieces, and reserved some of the the tips. I cooked chopped pancetta (rather than bacon), and then quickly sauteed the shrimp in some of the pancetta fat. I coarsely chopped the cooked shrimp, but reserved a few whole shrimp for garnish. I sauteed minced shallot and garlic in a little more of the pancetta fat and butter, added the risotto, a splash of white wine, and then slowly added shrimp stock until the risotto was almost done. I mixed in the chopped shrimp and asparagus, a squeeze of lemon juice, and finished cooking the risotto. I garnished with the pancetta bits, asparagus tips, whole shrimp, and lemon zest.
My Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto was adapted from Dorie's Asparagus with Bits of Bacon, and David Leite's Shrimp Risotto, here, but I've also blogged a few other risottos, here, and here.
French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group, dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours. As members of the group, we have purchased the cookbook and cook along as much as we can. There is a new recipe each week, and we post about that recipe on Friday. We are asked to refrain from posting the actual recipes on our blog. The book is filled with stunning photography, and personal stories about each recipe, which makes it that much more intriguing. I highly recommend adding it to your cookbook collection if you haven't already!