If you ever need to find me in a crowd, just follow the string of heavy silences I leave in my wake. It goes like this: I’ll say something, you’ll nod your head and smile, and then you’ll stand frozen while holding your mojito, wishing desperately that someone will come along and save you from me. Eerie silence ensues.

It happened recently when I met Michael Chiarello at a “Top Chef Masters” preview event. There were fans looking over my shoulder, PR reps flanking Chiarello and all kinds of activity in between. In an attempt to ask him something for a follow-up story I wanted to write, I managed to winnow that boisterous man down to a nodding and smiling animatronic. (Cue the crickets.) I’m not quite sure how I do it, but it may have something to do with nervously ramming three questions together in a single, incoherent sentence.

It’s kind of weird being a journalist who gets panicky around selective sources.

The Symposium for Professional Food Writers was yet another event that had me exponentially intimidated. The sheer number of attendees who’ve published cookbooks, the James Beard awards won and the fact that most of them could grow flourishing gardens with both hands tied behind their backs made me feel like a fraud. I’ve written some stories here and there, but did I really know anything about food? I can barely keep a potted thyme alive for longer than a month.

But my nerves subsided slightly when I met cookbook author Tara Mataraza Desmond. Her friendly nature put me at ease, foreshadowing what the week-long conference would be like: welcoming and encouraging. It was exactly what I needed. I had my awkward moments for sure, but I wasn’t a basket case (well, not the whole time). Had I not met Tara in the elevator minutes before the symposium began, I wonder if my experience would have been a little more anxiety-ridden.

So when Tara sent an e-mail to SPFW attendees about a blogger potluck being held in conjunction with her new cookbook “Almost Meatless: Recipes That Are Better for Your Health and the Planet,” I jumped at the chance to join in. The book is co-written by Joy Manning, with recipes that emphasize grains and veggies rather than meat (that’s the “Almost” part). I took on the shrimp and slow-roasted tomato risotto.

As a journalist, I think it may be difficult for me to write an unbiased review of this recipe because I’ve met Tara and think her a genuine and thoughtful person. So I’ll just leave you with this: The recipe reflects the person. And I’ll replace my own further thoughts with letting the recipe and photos speak for themselves. Or better yet, what do you think of them? (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

SHRIMP AND SLOW-ROASTED TOMATO RISOTTO
Reprinted with permission from Ten Speed Press and authors

Risotto is so misunderstood. Thought to be a luxurious restaurant dish, risotto is actually much better at home, where you can make it to order. (at a restaurant, the rice is often cooked hours ahead.) Because of its creamy texture, dieters typically avoid it. But it’s the grain’s natural starchiness that lends the luscious consistency. and, worst of all, many home cooks consider it too difficult to make. in reality, there’s nothing hard about making risotto. it doesn’t even require the constant stirring that’s often part of the recipe. this version gets its flavor from homemade fish stock, good quality shrimp, and flavor-packed slow-roasted tomatoes. in fact, the tomatoes are flavorful enough to be the star of the dish in a vegetarian version that omits the shrimp and uses vegetable broth.

Serves 4 to 6
Slow-roasted tomatoes:

• 1 pound plum tomatoes, quartered and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra as needed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Risotto:

• 5 cups fish stock (page 134 of the book)
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined,
• cut into 1-inch pieces, shells and tails reserved
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1 1/2 cups Carnaroli or arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, torn

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
to make the tomatoes, toss them with the oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared sheet and roast in the oven for 3 hours. If you don’t use the tomatoes right away, cool and then layer them in a small jar with 2 tablespoons oil. Cover and refrigerate up to one week.

To prepare the risotto, heat the stock in a saucepan until simmering; add the shrimp shells and tails and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, then return the stock to low heat to keep hot.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat in a sauté pan. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until softened but not starting to brown. Add the rice, stirring to combine with the butter and shallots for about 3 minutes, until the grains are coated in butter and the edges appear translucent. Add the wine and cook until almost absorbed, stirring occasionally.

Add about 1 cup of the hot stock and stir occasionally, for about 6 minutes. When the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, add another half-cup of stock. keep adding stock in half-cup increments each time the risotto absorbs most of the liquid. Start tasting the rice for doneness when about a cup of stock remains. The risotto should look creamy and be tender with a little al dente bite—this takes about 30 minutes. When the risotto is almost done, add the sliced roasted tomatoes and shrimp; stir until the shrimp has just turned pink and cooked through, for no more than 2 minutes. Stir in the basil and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter (if desired) and season to taste just before serving. Drizzle with the tomato oil if you jarred them.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 at 1:00 am and is filed under In the kitchen, Main dishes, Pasta/grains, Seafood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.