Daily Excerpt from Diary of a Tuscan Chef!

Today's excerpt from Diary of a Tuscan Chef is the recipe for Risotto con Pesto, Funghi, e Gamberi, which is a tasty dish of Pesto Risottoe with Mushrooms and Shrimp. This truly Italian dish is a delicious way to try your hand at a risotto, and bring the flavors of Tuscany to your table.

Risotto con Pesto, Funghi, e Gamberi

Pesto Risotto with Mushrooms and Shrimp

(SERVES 4 AS AN APPETIZER)

3 tablespoons chopped red onion

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 ¼ cups Arborio rice

¾ cup white wine

4 cups simmering homemade fish or vegetable stock

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 cup cleaned, mixed mushrooms (chanterelles, shiitake, cremini)

1 dozen medium raw shrimp, shelled and cleaned

Salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

½ cup Pesto alla Cesare, more to taste (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion in ¼ cup of the olive oil over high heat until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, stir to coat. Cook 2 minutes more, until the rice is lightly toasted. Remove from the heat and add ¼ cup of the white wine, then return the rice to the heart and let the wine reduce, about 1 minute. Add the simmering stock and continue cooking at a lively boil over high heat.

In a small sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil with 1 clove of the crushed garlic. Discard the garlic after 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté over high, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the rice and stir. Over high, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil in the sauté pan with the remaining 2 crushed garlic cloves. Discard the garlic after 1 minute. Add the shrimp, salt, pepper, and the remaining ½ cup of wine (be careful, it will flame up). Cook for 2 minutes, then add to the rice mixture.

It will take about 15 minutes from the time the liquid is added for the rice to cook al dente. Taste it. If after 15 minutes it is still too hard, add a little more broth or water and continue cooking. The risotto should be slightly soupy and the rice firm to the bite. Add salt and pepper to taste. When it has reached this stage, remove the rice from the heat, add the pesto and chopped basil, stir well, and serve. (If you pour a thin layer of oil over the unused pesto, it will keep very well in the refrigerator for a week. You can use the leftover pesto to make pasta, drizzled over toasted Tuscan bread, or as an addition to vinaigrette to give your salad a light, basil taste.)

Pesto alla Cesare

Cesare’s Pesto

(SERVES 6)

2 cups fresh basil leaves

½ cup fresh Italian parsley

¼ cup fresh chervil (or use all parsley)

1 – 1 ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil

5 tablespoons pine nuts

4 -5 cloves garlic, peeled

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

5 anchovies, preserved in salt or olive oil (optional)

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

3 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese

Put the basil, parsley, chervil (if you don’t use chervil, use more parsley), olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and the anchovies in a food processor. Blend coarsely, stopping form time to time to scrape down the sides. When the ingredients are well blended, pour them into a bowl and add the grated cheese. (If combining the pesto with pasta, add a tablespoon of the cooking water to the pesto to thin it out. This is unnecessary with risotto.)