Alice’s Favorite Lemon Risotto

ALICE’S FAVORITE LEMON RISOTTO
LEMON BROTH:
10 c. water
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
Zest of 1 large lemon or 4 small ones
Juice of all the lemons used
4 rinds of fresh Parmesan cheese
1 bay leaf
RISOTTO:
4 T. olive oil
¼ c. minced red onion or 1 shallot, minced
1 ½ c. Arborio rice or 1 (8.8 oz.) packaged Risotto (I used Cucina Viva Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms)-bought at Champagne’s in Lafayette.
2 t. kosher salt
1 c. dry white wine
¼ c. chopped chives
Black pepper
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. BROTH: In a large pot, add the water, thyme, zest, cheese rinds, lemon juice and bay leaf. Place over medium heat and then bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30-40 minutes. Strain, discard solids and reserve liquid.
2. RISOTTO: In a large skillet, place over medium heat and add the olive oil and the red onion or shallot. Saute for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the rice and toast, stir often to coat the rice for another 2 minutes.
4. Season with salt, deglaze with white wine and cook, stirring often, until wine is almost entirely absorbed.
5. Add 1 c. of the BROTH and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is nearly absorbed.
6. Continue to cook, add more BROTH a cup at a time, stirring often, until the rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, 25-30 minutes. You will not use all of the BROTH. Just use what you need to get to the creamy/tender stage.
7. Stir in the chives, taste for seasoning by adding some black pepper as well.
8. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
   *I found I did not have to add the grated Parmesan because the BROTH had the flavor of the cheese. Delicious! You can add other ingredients to kick it up a bit. If you use just the plain Arborio rice, you can add mushrooms, asparagus tips, peas, etc.
   You an use the leftover broth for basting grilled fish or chicken or even add to other pasta dishes.
   ALICE’S CRAWFISH RISOTTO
   1 (8-oz.) pkg. Alessi Risotto (your favorite blend, this one is with Porcini Mushrooms)
   1 lb. fresh crawfish tails
   1 stick butter
   ¼ c. olive oil
   1 c. chopped onions
   2 T. minced garlic
   ¼ c. heavy cream
   1 pkg. Sprinkle tomatoes
   Salt/pepper to taste
9. Prepare risotto according to package directions. Set aside.
10. In large skillet, melt butter and add olive oil.
11. Saute onions for about 2 minutes, add garlic and cook another minute.
12. Season crawfish tails with salt and pepper.
13. Add crawfish to skillet and saute for 6-8 minutes. Stir occasionally.
14. Gradually add the risotto. Mix to blend evenly.
15. Taste for seasoning.
16. Add the sprinkle tomatoes and cook another 1-2 minutes.
    If you can’t get the SPRINKLE TOMATOES use cherry tomatoes and slice in half.
    You can sub in 1 lb. of fresh jumbo lump crabmeat for the crawfish. You can basically add any protein you like as well as any veggies.