Butternut Squash Risotto & Shrimp

So, apparently I am on a shrimp kick. I've had shrimp three days in a row now and could easily eat it for another three days. This is nothing new for me. At holiday parties, I hover above the shrimp cocktail.

Ironically, I crave cold shrimp in the winter and hot shrimp in the summer. What can I say, my taste buds tend to do their own thing. Can't control 'em!

This summer, I have been eating shrimp atop a variety of pasta dishes and tonight, on butternut squash risotto. My friend Mary came over to my apartment and I wanted to cook a light summer supper for us to enjoy with a bottle of white wine. Shrimp with risotto sounded like a solid match and according to Mary (and me!), it was a good choice.

Now, I must be honest here. I did not make the risotto from scratch. I had a busy day and butternut squash risotto called for like, 20 ingredients that I had little desire to hunt down (my wallet thanked me for this decision). I used a box of risotto with flavor already "built in," so to speak. I just followed the directions on the box and watched it simmer and thicken on the stove. To salvage a little bit of my dignity though, I boiled and pureed about 1/2 cup of fresh butternut squash and mixed that in with the risotto before serving. It tasted just lovely.

The shrimp took four minutes to cook (about two minutes on each side) in a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and salt & pepper. I piled it on top of the risotto and served the dish aside a citrus avocado salad (avocado and grapefruit cubes).

One bottle of wine and two empty serving dishes later, Mary and I were a couple of happy ducks, ready to move on to the chocolate brownie bites and fresh strawberries...