Shrimp Difecta

Shrimp Difecta

Since it's not a "trifecta" I decided to call it a difecta. Because there's only two recipes.

First, buy two pounds of shrimp (unpeeled at least, and in Arizona, you buy them frozen) and some leeks.

Peel (and remove the tails) and boil the shrimp. ONLY-- Don't throw away the shrimp shells and tails, and keep ALL the water you boiled them in. Put the shrimp shells and tails in the freezer.

Then, make this:

http://chaosinthekitchen.com/2008/10/fast-food-creamy-shrimp-and-mushroom-pasta/

Like I said earlier, I used spinach tagliatelle and doubled the garlic. I also used half the butter, and substituted non-fat sour cream instead. Use only one pound of the shrimp here. Yum.

It's extremely important you make this on Friday or Saturday. You'll see why.

On Sunday we had to get up early, because the Patriots were playing at 10:00 am. I had to go get some bagels for breakfast before the game, then I put on that pot of shrimp flavored water and added the shrimp shells and tails, the tops of those leeks (two), a couple carrots, a sprinkle of old bay, fresh herbs (I had parsley and basil on hand), a sprinkle of pepper corns, and a pinch of pepper flakes. If you have celery (I didn't), chop up a stalk and throw it in. Then let that shit simmer all day long. Patriots won, by the way. I think that matters in how good this turns out. Strain and put in the fridge.

On Monday night, make this:

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp_risotto/

BUT WAIT! Before making this, open a bottle of wine and leave it close to the stove. This is going to take about an hour to make almost constantly at the stove. You're going to need the wine. And put on Monday Night Football. Make sure you can see the TV from the stove. You're watching the Bears SPAH-HA-HANK the Cowboys. This might make a difference in how this comes out as well. You never know.

Only.....We're going to make a few changes in this risotto. OK...A lot of changes. I should just write a new recipe, but I'm lazy. So......Use the shrimp broth you made Sunday instead of the clam juice and water (in the end I ended up with 5 1/2 cups or so of broth, and you need 5 cups to make this). Feel free to call this the New England Patriot Victory Shrimp Broth if you like. AND, use the white parts of the leeks instead of scallions. And we're going to use the other pound of shrimp we boiled earlier instead of canned brine shrimp (weak). AND.....we're leaving out the lemon zest because I think it's too strong for this. Instead, we're adding a 1/2 cup or so of grated Parmesan cheese because....well, it's fucking risotto. It NEEDS cheese. By the way, 1/2 cup is what I say when I'm trying to estimate between a "metric shit-ton" and "a skosh(i)." Just so you know. Anyway......it's shrimpy goodness. And it's always fun to watch the Cowboys lose. So....there's that.