Here I am again talking about Game of Thrones.  Some of my thoughts:

• I finished last week’s post with- WHERE IS GENDRY AND HERE HE IS!! I am so glad he is back and that him and Jon and making fun of each other the way their parents used to… I can’t wait to see what role Gendry is going to play moving forward. Also Davos line- I thought you might still be rowing…. amazing
• Tyrion, Dany and Jon are the only people who have gotten dragon love (how much did Dany love Jon and Drogon getting along!)… tell me they are all going to triple ride dragons together… .also all of their moms died during childbirth does that mean anything?
• I love that Jorah is going north of the wall- I feel like his greyscale is going to protect him from the white walkers and maybe prove they can weaponize greyscale or something…
• SAM LISTEN TO GILLY WHEN SHE TALKS AHHH THAT WAS SO PAINFUL SHE WAS ABOUT TO DROP SOME MAJOR NEWS
• The Arya/Sansa bickering is annoying
• Is Cerses really pregnant or do we think she’s making that up to manipulate Jamie? Either way I hate it…
• This suicide squad at the end was ridiculous…. Even though this is the stupidest idea ever I was obsessed with all these amazing characters coming together and being the most brave

Okay I have 203958203852033 other thoughts but let’s talk risotto.  This is a pretty unitalian version of risotto using pernod instead of wine (it’s subtle I promise) and throwing some saffron in… giving it wonderful flavor and color.  I added grilled veggies and shrimp but you could really use this recipe as a base to add whatever ingredients you want at the end.  I got some gorgeous purple bell pepper, summer squash and eggplant that helped lighten up this rich risotto.  The charred shrimp gave a texture contrast that I was very into… you could stir them in like I did or serve them on top of the risotto.  Either way this was a summery, luxurious take on one of my favorite dishes to make.

You’ll need (for 6-8 people):

• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 stick butter
• 2/3 cup pernod
• Olive oil
• Salt/pep
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 0.5 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 eggplants, sliced lengthwise
• 2 zucchini or summer squash, sliced lengthwise
• 2 bell peppers, I used purple, finely chopped
• 2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1.5 pound  and deveined shrimp
• 1/3 cup peas (I used frozen)
• 8 cups veggie stock

To Make:

1. Heat the stock in a large saucepan over low heat.
2. Melt ¾ the stick of butter and two tablespoons oil in a large dutch oven over low heat.  Add the onion and stir for three minutes.  Add the garlic and stir for one minute.  Add the bell pepper and stir for six minutes.
3. Add the rice and stir for one minute.  Add the pernod and stir for two minutes.  Add 1 cup of stock, saffron and 0.5 teaspoon salt/pep and stir.
4. Stir constantly, adding 1/3 cup stock every few minutes.   Do this for 20-25 minutes until rice is al dente.
5. Meanwhile, heat a grill over high heat.  Brush zucchini and eggplant with olive oil, salt/pep and paprika.  Grill veggies on both sides until cooked through, 5-10 minutes depending on size of veggies.  Set aside, let cool slightly then cut into bite size pieces.  Set in 200 degree oven to keep warm while you finish the risotto.
6. Toss shrimp with olive oil, salt/pep and paprika.  Grill on both sides for 3-4 minutes until charred and cooked through.  Set in the oven with the veggies.
7. Once rice is cooked through, add remaining two tablespoons butter, parmesan, parsley and peas and stir to combine.  Stir in veggies and shrimp.  Season to taste with salt/pep.