Photos by Aimee Broussard.

This pasta dish is made for crawfish season

It’s finally the season that Louisianans dream about…crawfish season! Whether you prefer them boiled, fried or added to a dish, we’ll take all the crawfish we can get. Prices are finally dropping, so get them while you can.

inRegister food columnist Aimee Broussard created a Crawfish Risotto inspired by Ina Garten’s Parmesan Risotto. Featured in the February issue of inRegister, read on for the full recipe.


Crawfish Risotto

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Parmesan Risotto

Ingredients:
½ cup Arborio rice, dry/unrinsed
5 cups chicken stock
½ cup Pinot Grigio
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 Tbsp. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp. Creole seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
12 oz. frozen crawfish tails, thawed
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, heat 5 cups chicken stock over medium-low heat. Once warm, ladle 4 cups into large Dutch oven reserving remaining 1 cup for later. Stir in rice and place lid on top.
Bake in oven for 45 minutes, or until most liquid is absorbed and rice is al dente.
Remove from oven and stir in remaining 1 cup chicken stock and wine. Add parmesan, mascarpone, lemon juice, Creole seasoning, butter, salt and pepper.  Stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes. Rice should be thick and creamy.
Drain crawfish and use a spatula to gently fold it into risotto.
Garnish with a bit more grated parmesan, parsley and serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.

Aimee Broussard is a Southern food blogger and award-winning cookbook author. Seen on QVC, Rachael Ray and more, she is a self-proclaimed accidental entrepreneur with a penchant for porches and sweet hospitality. Find her online at aimeebroussard.com.