Fettucini in a White Wine Reduction w/ Shallots, Asparagus, and Shrimp

Despite the theme of this blog you may have had a difficult time inferring that I like to use the same ingredients in different venues, but that isn't the case. There's a few things that I like to cook with that I think can usually make any dish exponentially better. Shrimp happens to be one of these ingredients. I'm writing this introduction because I already have a recipe that has shrimp, shallots, and asparagus. I'm going to be adding another one today, and not surprisingly: I still have more to add later. This is a really easy pasta dish that you can put together quickly. There are times when you can be in the mood for long drawn out recipes and then there's most of the time, when you aren't. Subsequently this recipe is perfect for most of the time.

Ingredients:
3/4 box of Fettucini
3/4 of a lb of shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 medium shallot, sliced
1/2 bunch of asparagus, chopped
1/2 cup of white wine (whatever is open)
Parmesan cheese to taste
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt to taste




Instructions:

 The first step to this meal is putting water in a large sauce pan on an alternate burner than what you're going to be using to cook your shallots, asparagus and shrimp. This is going to be for the Fettucini. The water coming to a boil and the pasta cooking are the things about this dish that takes the longest. (When the water is coming to a boil, add the pasta.) Then just like when you're making the risotto what you want to do is heat up a large shallow pan. Add your two tablespoons of olive oil and your sliced shallot. Cook your shallot until it becomes iridescent but not browned. Take your shallots out of the pan. Add your 1/2 cup of wine and make sure the heat is low. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get any remnants of shallot to mix in with your wine. Let the wine slowly simmer and reduce. When the wine is coming to the consistency you're looking for (don't let it all evaporate, feel free to add more if it begins to) you want to add the asparagus and the cooked shallots. Cook those for a few minutes or until the asparagus is almost getting soft. Add your shrimp. Salt to taste. What you're looking to do is have everything finish at the same time. The shrimp is the one ingredient that really shows when it's overdone. When the shrimp is turning pink on both sides and your asparagus is cooked but still firm and crispy, then hopefully your pasta is being drained. After I drain the pasta I usually like to add about another tablespoon of olive oil to it and mix it all together. Then incorporate all of your pasta to your shallow sauce pan and mix it all together. I usually add a little Parmesan cheese and mix that into the dish as well, in addition to adding some after plating. Feel open to the idea of cooking some garlic along with the shallots and the beginning, or squirting some lemon juice over it all before you add the pasta in the end. You can even add a tomato that has been chopped into large pieces when you add the shrimp. This is your dish and I hope you enjoy it.
 

Asparagus and Shallot Risotto with Shrimp

w/ Pork stuffed something. I forget actually. I can get back to you on that

.

w/ goat.

To date the biggest fan of this blog said to me after she told me she had read it, "And I don't even like asparagus." She's only the biggest fan because she was the only one that acknowledged to me that she had read it - to my face. Despite that, I am still inclined to think that this is poised to be the best asparagus blog on the internet. It's not hubris when it's accurate. My next recipe is more involved than the last. It's not a difficult recipe, it's just one that takes your attention. Timing is an essential element. You don't want your risotto to be too wet . You also want to cook the asparagus long enough to not be under or over cooked while at the same time not under or over cook your shrimp. Above all else you don't want the strong flavor of the shrimp to downplay the subtle beauty of the asparagus.

Ingredients:

About 3/4 of a bunch of asparagus chopped into bite sized pieces
1 small shallot - about 1 Tbsp diced
3/4 of a lb of shrimp (I like a heavy 3/4)
5 oz of arborio rice
1/2 a teaspoon of sea salt 
2 table spoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of rice wine
3 1/4 to 4 cups of chicken broth
1/2 ounce of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon of butter 

Saute shallots

Instructions:

Heat up a large shallow pan.  (Don't use cast iron - it will turn your rice black.) Add about two tablespoons of olive oil and the diced shallot. Let that heat up a bit and cook until the shallot has become almost iridescent. Don't let the shallot brown. Add the rice and let it toast for a minute. Add a quarter cup of rice wine, or if you have a bottle of white wine open that will work too. I discourage you from using red wine because that will stain the rice and you will have an awkward looking dinner. Let the wine simmer down and deglaze the pan. (Scrape all the browning from the bottom of the pan. This is a lot of flavor you don't want to go to waste.) Add two generous ladles of chicken stock. I highly recommend using your own home-made chicken stock. Again scrape the bottom. Keep stirring. Nothing should be sticking. Keep adding broth as it evaporates. About 3 and a half cups of broth will give you an al dente risotto.  It's going to vary from place to place how long you should cook the rice. Stoves have a varying sense of hotness and altitude also plays a role. It's going to take longer than you think it should. It can got between 20 to 40 minutes. When you think the time is appropriate you should add the chopped asparagus. You want the asparagus to become tender, while keeping the rice wet with the broth. Keep this in mind. You can't make the rice less saturated so you shouldn't add too much broth after the asparagus. When the asparagus is at an appropriate level of tenderness - about half-done - you should add the shrimp. Stir and wait. Repeat. Wait until the shrimp has turned pink and turn off the heat.  Add the butter and the cheese, and incorporate into the dish. You need to be cautious of overcooking the shrimp. The trick of the dish is to not over cook the shrimp, the rice or the asparagus. Good Luck!