Lemon Risotto-with fava or shrimp in SPRING

This recipe serves 6 to 8 people depending on the course. This is a great seasonal vegetarian dish, very aromatic and savory with the addition of the shrimp or fava's. 5 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups peeled fresh green fava beans, from about 1 pound of shelled beans 3 TB fresh lemon juice Sea salt 3/4 cup finely diced shallots 2 1/2 cups Arborio rice 8 to 9 cups vegetable broth, fresh 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 1/2 TB finely grated lemon zest `/1 cup fresh grated Parmagiano Reggiano For the Fava's: Heat 2 TB olive oil in a medium sized saute pan. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the peeled fava beans and saute them over medium high heat, stirring almost constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until they color just a very small amount. Add 1 TB lemon juice, sprinkle the beans with a big pinch of sea salt, stir and remove from the heat. Set aside while you prepare the rice. For the Rice: Heat the remaining 3 TB olive oil in a large saute pan and stir the shallots in it over medium heat with a pinch of salt and cook until they are soft with no color. Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer, cover and keep warm. Add the rice to the shallots and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Lightly toasting the rice. Add the wine and reduce to sec, until it has all evaporated. Add 1 cup of the vegetable stock, lower the heat to s small and simmer and constantly stir the rice. Continue adding the broth and stirring over low to medium low heat until most of the broth is absorbed. Slowly add more stock and stir until the rice is tender but firm and creamy, about 20 minutes or so. If the stock is added properly and the stirring is constant, there will be a small amount of a "sauce" with the rice as well. Stir in the remaining 2 TB of lemon juice and the lemon zest, as well as 2/3 of the sauteed fava beans reserving a small amount for garnish on top. (but not necessary) Stir in the Parmigiano and then, just before serving, add a final generous ladle full of the stock. Immediately spoon the risotto in shallow bowls and scatter a few beans on top. Pass the olive oil of the top, as well as some freshly grated cheese. This recipe is a standard Rice to Risotto process. The only real difference is that this recipe requires that there be a small amount of a thickened lemon/rice "broth" in the bottom of each bowl where traditional risotto has no extra/excessive liquid outside of what the rice has absorbed. It is very important, as it is when ever cooking rice to risotto to constantly stir the rice with a wooden spoon, especially in the recipe as the "broth" that is excessive should be a thickened liquid. Also the addition of shrimp makes this recipe very flexible where the dish is placed in the order. Mint, very good quality, finely Chiffonade and folded in a la minute at the very end, helps to bring out the flavors of the fava's, rice, even the lemon. Same with the shrimp.