1 good glug extra virgin olive oil

2 medium Spanish/Yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic, smashed

A few springs of fresh Thyme

1 cup white wine

2 quarts Water

1 Lemon, halved

A few cloves

shells/heads from 1 lb of Maine shrimp, preferably raw

Salt and pepper

N.B. You can throw all sorts of things in the stock. The original recipe called for celery and fennel, nether of which I really care for, so I left them out and milled tomatoes which didn’t really fit the flavor I was going for (and I don’t have a food mill nor access to really nice, fresh tomatoes in January) so I left them out too. I didn’t hew too closely to any one recipe and adapted a few different ones to suit my taste. Also, the amount of stock you can make will depend on the amount of water and shells you use. The amount I gave you should make enough for two.

Heat a large pot (4+ quarts, preferable enamel) over medium-high heat and add oil. When the oil gets hot, add onions and sweat them for a minute or two. They don’t need to be cooked/translucent. Add garlic and thyme and cook for another minute or so. Add the wine and simmer for another minute and then add the water. Squeeze the juice from the lemon in the water and then drop the lemon halves in. Toss in the cloves and shrimp shells and heads, season with a very little kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer the stock for a good hour, until it’s reduced. Try not to boil it or it will reduce too quickly. If this happens, add more water. The trick is to have 3-4 cups of stock for every 3/4 cup of uncooked risotto (2 main servings) you will end up using.

NB: Don’t be afraid to taste the stock and add ingredients to suit your tastes.

When the stock is done, pass it through a fine sieve or a chinois. If you are going to use it immediately, put it back on the stove at a very low heat. Enough to keep it hot, but not high enough to boil/reduce it any further. If you’re not going to use it right away, let it cool slightly and it can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for an extended period of time.

Risotto recipe after the jump:

Risotto:

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T high quality butter, unsalted

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 T tomato paste

1 lg. clove garlic, finely chopped

3/4 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

3-4 cups of hot Maine shrimp stock

1 lb of Maine Shrimp

1/2 cup of grated parmesano reggiano

white pepper

minced parsley for garnish

Shell the shrimp and reserve the heads and shells (for your next batch of stock, natch!) Try to keep as much of the roe with the shrimp as possible, as they add flavor and color to the dish. They’re sticky, but worth it! Don’t rinse the shrimp. They don’t need it and are so delicate that the water will wash away some flavor.

Heat olive oil and butter in large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.

Add shallots, cooking until shallots soften and turn golden, about 2-3 minutes.

Add tomato paste and stir until paste darkens, about 1 -2 minutes more, stirring frequently.

Add garlic and stir for a brief 30 seconds. Burnt garlic means you have to start over!

Add rice and stir to coat with oil until rice turns translucent. 2-3 minutes. Add white wine and simmer, stirring, until wine is just about absorbed.

Over a medium/high heat, start adding stock to the rice mixture in 1/4 to 1/2 cup increments, stirring constantly until the rice absorbs the liquid. The constant stirring is vital in order to keep the rice grains from sticking to the pot and each other.

When the rice is softening just past the “al dente” stage (about 3 cups and 15-18 minutes) and is taking on a creamy texture, stir in the cheese. If the rice thickens too much, add another 1/4 cup of stock and stir for 2-3 minutes, then turn off the heat and add the shrimp, stirring gently. Let sit for a few minutes. The shrimp need almost no cooking (they are eaten raw in sushi restaurants as “Ama ebi” and the heat from the rice will do the job.

Season with pepper to taste. No added salt is needed with the shrimp and parmesan.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of curly parsley and grated parmesan.

Serves 4 as an appetizer or two as an entree.