{"id":28273,"date":"2018-04-24T10:10:13","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T14:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=28273"},"modified":"2018-04-24T10:10:19","modified_gmt":"2018-04-24T14:10:19","slug":"on-your-table-orzo-risotto-with-asparagus-and-shrimp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=28273","title":{"rendered":"On Your Table: Orzo Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Cathy Branciaroli<\/strong>,\u00a0Food Correspondent, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Asparagus and shrimp risotto made with orzo instead of rice yields a quick main course bursting with spring flavors.<\/p><\/div>\n

Just as the weather is finally warming up, local asparagus is starting to come into farmers markets and supermarket shelves. The sight of their bright green spears makes everyone\u2019s heart sing at the end of a long winter of root vegetables, homey casseroles and comfort food.\u00a0 Heaving a deep sigh of relief to at last escape winter\u2019s clutches, waste no time in celebrating this versatile spring vegetable whether in a breakfast frittata, a tempting quiche<\/a> or a tasty dinner main course. \u00a0<\/p>\n

On the subject of whether fat or thin asparagus spears are more preferable, there is considerable debate.\u00a0 Pencil thin spears are marketed as gourmet and as more delicate or tender than their thicker cousins.\u00a0 But this isn\u2019t really the case.\u00a0 Thinner does not mean younger or more tender.\u00a0 Both sizes taste equally sweet, nutty, and grassy.<\/p>\n

Thickness does matter in terms of the cooking method.\u00a0 Thicker<\/em> stalks are better<\/em> for broiling and roasting because they will stand up to the intense dry heat that would quickly shrivel skinnier spears.\u00a0 Quick-cooking thinner spears are good candidates for steaming and stir-frying.\u00a0 So choose the size that best suits your cooking method.<\/p>\n

In honor of asparagus and the belated coming of spring, we served up a light, refreshing, simple dish last weekend that combines some of my favorite spring ingredients – shrimp and asparagus \u2013 in a flavorful mock risotto.<\/p>\n

Many of us think of risotto as a dish requiring long periods of continuous stirring in order to achieve its creamy consistency and tenderness.\u00a0 Not so.\u00a0 Orzo pasta makes an excellent rice substitute.\u00a0 \u201c<\/em>Orzo<\/em>\u201d<\/em> is Italian for \u201cbarley,\u201d but that name merely refers to its size and shape.\u00a0 The pasta\u2019s shape, size and texture resemble grains of rice and is most often used in soups, pilafs or other rice-based dishes.<\/p>\n

Using orzo instead of rice vastly hastens risotto preparation.\u00a0 The pasta is cooked al dente in just a few minutes.\u00a0 The other ingredients can be saut\u00e9ed while the pasta is cooking and then the entire ensemble is stirred together.\u00a0 It comes together quickly and tastes equally as good as the traditional method.<\/p>\n

This is a dish that is quick and easy for weeknight suppers, can easily be expanded to feed a crowd, and looks gorgeous!\u00a0 Since the true season for asparagus in this area is a short one it\u2019s time to enjoy this spring delicacy before those first local bundles fly away.<\/p>\n

Orzo Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp <\/strong><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/u><\/p>\n

1 box orzo (16 oz)<\/p>\n

10 oz asparagus spears<\/p>\n

\u00bd lb shelled and deveined medium shrimp<\/p>\n

4 tbs unsalted butter<\/p>\n

1 medium onion chopped fine<\/p>\n

2 garlic cloves chopped fine<\/p>\n

\u00bc cup white wine<\/p>\n

\u00be cup chicken broth or vegetable broth for vegetarian dish<\/p>\n

\u00bd cup grated parmesan cheese<\/p>\n

2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley<\/p>\n

Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to season<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Preparation:<\/u><\/p>\n

Roast asparagus spears drizzled with olive oil in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes.\u00a0 Set aside and cut into 1 in pieces, reserving tops for garnish.\u00a0 Melt butter under med-high heat in a heavy skillet until the butter begins to brown.\u00a0 Add shrimp seasoned with salt, pepper and hot flakes.\u00a0 Cook over medium heat till just pink, about 1 minute per side.\u00a0 Remove with a slotted spoon.\u00a0 Saut\u00e9 onion and garlic in the brown butter.<\/p>\n

Prepare orzo in boiling salted water, undercooking for about 7-8 minutes till al dente.\u00a0 Drain and add to onion\/garlic in skillet and stir till coated with the butter and is toasty.\u00a0 Pour the broth and wine into the orzo and cook over medium heat, stirring, till creamy and liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.\u00a0 Check seasoning.<\/p>\n

Stir in the asparagus and shrimp under medium heat until heated through, just a minute or two.\u00a0 Add the cheese and parsley.\u00a0 Transfer to serving bowl or individual portions.\u00a0 Serve sprinkled with more parmesan.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cathy Branciaroli also writes about her adventures in the kitchen on her award-winning blog <\/em>Delaware Girl Eats<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cathy Branciaroli,\u00a0Food Correspondent, The Times Just as the weather is finally warming up, local asparagus is starting to come into farmers markets and supermarket shelves. The sight of their bright green spears makes everyone\u2019s heart sing at the end of a long winter of root vegetables, homey casseroles and comfort food.\u00a0 Heaving a deep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[6097,6518,5757,10184,4247],"class_list":["post-28273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-asparagus","tag-featured","tag-healthy","tag-risotto","tag-spring"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28273"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28274,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28273\/revisions\/28274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}