One of the benefits of working Saturday is Victor being home and able to watch cooking shows.  Saturday night dinner can really be a treat.

Last night was a perfect case in point.

A shrimp and rice dish he saw Giada De Laurentiis make…

Nonna Luna’s Rice

  • 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
  • 2 cups parboiled long-grain rice, such as Uncle Ben’s
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium nonstick saucepan, heat 1/2 of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the shrimp, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.  Stir in the cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a fork, fluff the rice and arrange on a platter. Spoon the shrimp cream sauce over the rice and serve.

Naturally, Victor played with the recipe a bit.  Neither of us are very good at following recipes exactly.

He used carnaroli rice – a medium-grained rice from northern Italy.  It’s a great risotto rice and worked perfectly with this recipe.  It made for an extremely creamy rice.

He also added grated Locatelli cheese and fresh peas – perfect additions.

Some crusty french bread was all the plate needed.  And even that was superfluous…