Party Food! Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Artichoke Risotto and Corn Fritters

I knew I'd get your attention with bacon AND shrimp combined. Even vegetarians love bacon.......have you ever noticed the soy bacon in the grocery store? BAcon....I love saying it.



Yes, over this new year's weekend we had a party. Of two. The way we like it most times. If my son and his wife could have joined us that would have been nice too but overall.....we just aren't big on crowds.

So anyhoo, while the prep for some of this chow was in the works, Doug was able to go out with his telescope for a bit as the weather and sky were perfect, for a change. We had been getting lots of cloudy skies and cold weather too. But this weekend.....quite nice. I read more of Game of Thrones and did the remarkably small amount of prep for this meal.

Ready? We'll start with the bacony shrimp.



Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tablespoon lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
large cooked shrimp, shelled and deveined (we used a pound)
bacon slices, cut in half

Directions

1. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Toss the shrimp in the marinade, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Pull each shrimp from the marinade and wrap each with a half slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining shrimp. Cook on preheated grill or grill pan (I used the grill pan) until the bacon is crisp, and the shrimp is hot, 6 to 10 minutes.

Now moving on to the Artichoke Risotto



This was the only part of the meal that needed tending constantly. If you've made risotto you know it's pour and stir....simmer...stare...then pour broth and stir some more. Totally worth it!

5 1/2 cups (or more) chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 baby artichokes, trimmed, halved
1 1/2 cups arborio rice (about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Bring broth to simmer in saucepan. Remove from heat. Cover; keep warm.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. I used marinated artichokes, add those to pot.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until artichokes begin to brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add rice; stir 2 minutes. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups warm broth; cook until absorbed, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add more broth, 1/2 cupful at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes longer. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

NOTE: I cut this recipe down by half because, just the two of us..........so we didn't desire to eat risotto leftovers for 4 days. You know.

Recipe courtesy of Epicurious HERE

I want to share this with Ivonne at Magazine Mondays. Check her out over there at Cream Puffs in Venice.



Now where did I put that corn fritter post I wanted share. (off looking).

Happy New Year!!