Risotto With Scallops, Mushrooms and Peas

Risotto is one of my favorite dishes and I have already posted one with calamari on our blog in the past. Ivan and I both had a craving for risotto, but we did not have any calamari. I only found mushrooms and scallops in our fridge and I found a recipe using these ingredients online. Since we love peas, I decided to add them to the risotto as well.  The end result was a success and I plan on making it again in the future.  We used the Sea Queen Bay Scallops and they were very tasty and great for this risotto.  We also used frozen peas and left them to defrost until it was time to add them to the dish.  So here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 pound of sea scallops
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound of mushrooms, sliced
• few pinches of dry thyme or a handful of fresh thyme springs
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups of Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup of white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• 3-4 tablespoons of tomato sauce (or to taste)
• 8 cups of chicken stock, heated
• 1/2 cup of frozen peas

 

Directions: 

• In a large, deep skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot.  
• Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper and brown well on both sides, about 2 minutes.  

• Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm while you make the risotto
• Reduce the heat to medium, add more olive oil and heat until hot
• Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until soft
• Toss in the mushrooms and thyme and cook until mushrooms lose their liquid and are lightly browned, about 10 minutes

• Season with salt and pepper
• Add the rice and stir 2 minutes to coat with the oil, then season again

• Stir in the wine and cook for 1 minute to evaporate the alcohol
• Add tomato sauce and keep cooking for another minute

• In the meantime, heat up chicken stock and keep simmering while making the risotto
• Pour 1 cup of the warm chicken stock and stir with a wooden spoon until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid, then add another cup and repeat the same process.  Keep adding stock 1 cup at a time until the rice is cooked

• When the rice is close to being 'al dente', add peas and scallops and carefully stir.  Add the remaining stock (if any left) until risotto is cooked.  
• Finally sprinkle chopped parsley over the risotto and serve with your favorite wine

• You can also sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the risotto if you wish

Enjoy! : )

Inspired by the recipe found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/risotto-with-wild-mushrooms-and-scallops-recipe.html