I know this dish may seem a little strange. But bear with me — citrus risotto isn’t some odd sweet-and-sour rice porridge. It’s an elegant dish that beautifully balances tart, creamy, salty and sweet flavors. And it can turn simply cooked seafood into a very special meal. It’s a delicious complement for shrimp or scallops, but I think it’s also very tasty with a simply cooked salmon filet.
And it’s simple and quick to prepare from ingredients you can find almost anywhere and at any time of year. If about 40 minutes, you can go from a cold start to a very special lunch or dinner on the table.
Recipe
(Adapted from “Citrus Risotto” in The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by the late great Judy Rodgers. Serves four to six.)
Ingredients
1 large or 2 smaller grapefruit, to yield 3/4 cup (175ml) of sections, plus juice.
1 lime (as ripe as possible)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup (125ml) finely diced yellow onion
2 cups (475ml) Carnaroli or Arborio rice
31/2 to 5 cups (850ml – 1.2l) of chicken stock
1/4 (60ml) cup mascarpone
Spot prawns or big white shrimp, 2-3 pieces per serving depending on size
Instructions
1. Section the Citrus. This can feel a little fiddly the first time, but once you get the hang of it, it goes quickly. First, cut off the top and bottom of the fruit to expose the flesh and to create a flat surface to rest on the cutting board. Then carve off the peel, pith and outer membranes with a paring knife in a series of smooth, curving strokes from top to bottom, rotating the fruit a bit as you go. If you there’s a little pith left after your first go-round, just go back and trim it off.
Next, cradling the fruit in one hand, slide the blade of your knife against both sides of the membranes that separate the sections and gently pry them out. Do this over a bowl to catch all of the juice. (Don’t worry about getting the sections out intact.) Squeeze the remaining juice in the grapefruit “carcasses” into the bowl.
2. Warm the butter in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and a few pinches of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the grains are warm and coated with the fat. Warm the stock in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. (Don’t let it boil.)
3. Add about 2 cups (475ml) of the stock, adjusting the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir frequently (though not necessarily constantly) until it has been mostly absorbed by the rice. Add about another cup (250ml) of the stock and do the same. Taste it: the rice will still be hard and raw tasting. Taste the satiny liquid –it should be quite salty at this point. If it’s not, add salt a couple of pinches at a time. Add another 1/2 cup (120ml) or so of stock and stir as needed until it’s absorbed. Taste again for flavor and doneness. At this point the rice shouldn’t taste raw but should be on the very firm side of al dente –too firm to serve.
4. Add the citrus segments, breaking them into pieces as you do, and add the grapefruit juice. Stir well and taste again for salt. Continue to cook until the rice is el dente, adding stock slowly (a couple of tablespoons at a time) if necessary. (If you grapefruit is very juicy, you may not need much of the remaining stock.) At this point, the sweet-salty balance of the risotto should be set, but it will probably taste too acidic. Don’t worry — we’ve still got the mascarpone.
5. At about the time you add the citrus to the rice, sauté the shrimp. Warm about a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet for about a minute over medium heat. Put the raw shrimp in the pan, shells on, and season with a few pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir or toss just until they are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat under the risotto and then stir in the mascarpone. Savor the creamy goodness and then correct for salt one last time.
Serve immediately topped with the shrimp and garnished with a little parsley, if desired.
