Shrimp, Olive and Tomato Risotto

When I go home for a week I transform into a housewife. All I have to do is cook, clean and do a bit of shopping in the afternoon. My mother and sister come home at 6 or 6.30 and thought they may not expect a hot dinner, they certainly appreciate it. Tonight I made risotto with shrimp, black olives and cherry tomatoes. In other words, I made "whatever there is lying around the kitchen risotto". Fortunately, my mother has a lot of tasty tidbits lying around the kitchen.

Shrimp, Olive and Tomato Risotto

serves 4 ladies quite decently

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
100 g onion (1 small), finely diced
175 g arborio rice (1 cup)
1/2 cup vermouth
3 cups chicken stock
10 kalamata olives
150 g cherry tomatoes (1 cup), halved
450 g raw shrimp, sliced lengthwise in half
handful of fresh basil and Parmesan to serve, optional

1 Put the chicken stock in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and let warm while you work on the risotto
2 Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until melted, then add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes
3 Add the rice and stir to coat, cook another 5 minutes
4 Add the vermouth and cook just until the vermouth has evaporated the rice is drying out again
5 Add the chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly in between each addition. Don't add more until you can scrape a spoon across the bottom of the pot and leave a clear line for a couple seconds. This process will take about 25 minutes.
6 When you've used 2 cups of stock, test the rice and if it is too hard, keep adding stock. If you run out and the rice is still hard, add water as you did the broth until it reaches a nice consistency.
7 When you like the feel of the rice, toss the shrimp, olives and tomatoes in and cook just until the shrimp is fully cooked, about 5 minutes.
8 Portion into bowls and top with Parmesan and basil if you please (don't listen to sissies who say pairing seafood and cheese is wrong)

This is a fresh, salty and slightly sweet risotto that is brilliant for a spring weeknight... that is if you're the housewife and have half an hour to stand in front of a stove while you wait for the eaters to arrive. I served mine with some rapini sauteed in butter, chili flakes, garlic, lemon juice and zest so I thought the basil would be unnecessary. However, if you are serving it without a side dish or really love basil, throw it on for flavour and colour!