Royal Foodie Joust Entry

This is my very first "Royal Foodie Joust" and my entry is:

Butterflied Shrimp on Coconut Risotto with Avocado, Lime and Cilantro Cream
Printable Recipe

I know I shouldn't pat myself on the back, but this was so good I could have eaten all 4 servings! If I ever get that restaurant to run, this will be on the menu!


For 4 Servings:

Risotto:

1 cup arborio rice
1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk
2 - 3 cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon sliced green onion
1 Tablespoon neutral oil
1/4 cup shredded coconut - toasted

Shrimp:

12 large shrimp - tails on and butterflied (sliced down the back nearly all the way through)
1 Tablespoon neutral oil

Cream:

1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/2 small avocado
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup sour cream


Make the risotto:

Saute green onion in 1 T oil briefly. Add rice and toast lightly. Mix coconut milk and chicken stock.
Add stock mixture to rice one cup at a time - letting rice absorb stock before adding another cup.
Add the toasted coconut after the second cup of stock.
Stir nearly constantly. When you get to the 20 minute mark, check the rice for consistency.
Once the rice is al dente and creamy, you're done. You may or may not use all of the stock.
Keep warm.

Make the cream:

Combine cilantro, avocado, lime and sour cream in a blender. Puree until very smooth.

Make the shrimp:

Pan-fry the shrimp - cut side down - until lightly browned. This will take about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to the pan so the shrimp will finish cooking and curl slightly. This will take just another 2 minutes or so.

For service I used coconut halves filled with risotto and topped with 3 shrimp each. Place a
dollop of cream on each shrimp and garnish with a sprinkling of toasted coconut and a cilantro leaf.

Sunday Dinner

"Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything."
Child's Mealtime Prayer

• Breaded Pork Filets
• Risotto
• Broccoli with Orange Gremolata
• Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing

Is that Risotto you see listed there? Why, yes - it is! It's not really as difficult to make as anyone thinks, and so delicious I couldn't think of a better way to spend half and hour at the stove. This is one of those classic dishes I've wanted to share the preparation of for some time anyway. No time like the present.
The Gremolata is most often made with lemon zest, but I was missing lemons today so I subbed orange zest. It was perfect.

First, here are the pork filets.


One 1/2" thick boneless pork chop, trimmed of fat.

The "stick" I beat the pork with (a.k.a. Grandma's rolling pin).

The beaten pork. Strike from the center outward in a steady motion until the pork is 1/4" thin.


After rubbing the pork with the a garlic clove cut in half, sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Rub this in to the surface of the pork.

I don't like a heavy standard breading - flour, egg, crumbs - so I just pat fresh bread crumbs into both sides of the pork. It's light and crispy at the edges without being heavy in the center.

Frying in hot oil - about 3 minutes per side.

Flipped to the other side. Once all the filets are fried, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and finish in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes.

A finished filet.

This is the Risotto:
Arborio rice. See how pretty it is? Arborio is rounder than usual long-grain rice. Do NOT rinse the rice before cooking. All that starch is what makes it creamy.

Half a small onion diced fine and cooked in olive oil - 4T - until translucent.

The rice (1 lb. about 1 1/2 cups) added to the oil and onion and lightly toasted.

Add HOT stock - you will need 6 to 8 cups - a cup at a time to the rice. Stir until the stock is absorbed. Add, a cup at a time, until you have added 6 cups. This takes about 15 minutes over a medium flame with almost constant stirring. Once you hit this point, try the rice to see if it's done. It should be al dente and not crunchy in the center.

This is the stock absorbed about halfway - 4 cups in. The finished Risotto disappeared before I had the chance to photograph it! Finish the Risotto with 2 tablespoons of butter and about 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan if you like.
The cake. A simple Wacky Cake with peanut butter icing. 1/2 stick of butter, 1 cup of creamy peanut butter, 1 t vanilla extract and 1 cup of powdered sugar. I have several here who don't like lots of icing so I go light. The center of these two mammoth cakes (gorgeous 10" pans I got for Christmas) was nothing but peanut butter spread in between.