Risotto without garlic...what??? Didn't even miss it!

So, anyone who has been following me, knows how much I love garlic!  I tend to use it a lot, in different quantities, both fresh and powdered..... but tonight, I wanted to try to cook without it.  I had planned on making some pork chops, but I wanted to brine them first, and didn't start until late.  So, tomorrow's dinner will be pork chops.  Now I am behind the eight ball, and need to come up with a quick dinner.  When in doubt, risotto works--  This dinner got rave reviews, so I hope you like it as well.

I started out by making the risotto the usual way... A tablespoon of butter and once around with EVOO(extra virgin olive oil), saute the risotto for a couple of minutes, then start adding the 3 cups of chicken broth, one at a time, until each one has been absorbed.

 

When that is done, I turn off the heat, set it to the side and start preparing the ingredients that will go in it.  First off, I shave a zucchini into strips and cut up.  I also cut up a whole bunch of asparagus.  I saute them in a pan with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  Only cook for about 5 minutes.  You want the veggies to stay crisp.

I add the veggies into the risotto, and push on...  Next, saute on half of a vidalia (sweet) onion.  I try to cut all the veggies the same size.  Once those are cooked, in they go.

 

I decide the star of this dish will be shrimp, so I defrost them and cut into thirds.  In the fry pan, I have a little olive oil and some freshly chopped ginger. Throw in the shrimp and quickly cook.  As soon as they are white with a little pink on them, they are done.  DO NOT OVERCOOK!  If you do, they become really tough, and you don't want that!  The last ingredient to add is the cut up cherry tomatoes.  They should never be cooked.  Just fold them in.  I did add about 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, because it gives the risotto some body.

So, as I said in the title of this blog, I wanted to try to make something without using garlic, and let me tell you, that was really hard!  One flavor that I absolute love and tend to cook with Jasmine rice is Ginger.  Fresh ginger, either grated or chopped.  For this risotto dish, the grated just wasn't giving it enough flavor, so I reverted to chopping it.....quite a bit of it.  I kept adding more until I could actually taste it.  WOW!  How good is that????  This is the important part I keep telling you about.....taste.  You might need to add a little more salt and pepper if necessary.

So, my youngest daughter is my prime taster.  She never fails!  So I grabbed a spoon and had her try it...

Actions speak louder than words.  Everyone loved it, including a few folks who stopped by with forks in hand!  Really hope you try this.