Kate vs. Risotto - this time I will master you

I have a problem with risotto...I can't cut the recipe in half. Well, I can cut it in half, but it comes out "funny." The arborio rice gets soft and cooked on the outside and hard and uncooked on the inside. I was told I might not be cooking it enough, so I doubled my time. Same problem. This time I decided the problem lay in adding too little liquid each addition. I looked at tons of recipes and discovered while I cut the amount of liquid addtion in half, no other recipe did. I don't /can't explain why this is such a factor, but this time I upped the liquid and voila - risotto cooked all the way through

Shrimp with red pepper coulis

1/2 lb cooked shrimp
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 serrano chili, sliced
1 roasted red pepper
1 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

1) In a ziplock bag, combine shrimp, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro and chilies. Refrigerate overnight.
2) In food processor, puree red peppers, cream cheese, and garlic until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Drizzle red pepper puree over shrimp.
Serves 2.
Each serving has:

Calories		315.9
Total Fat		20.6 g
Cholesterol		187.9 mg
Sodium		212.1 mg
Potassium		388.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate		8.6 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.5 g
Protein		24.9 g

Butternut squash risotto

1/2 butternut squash, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
salt to taste
3 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp butter
1 leek, cleaned and sliced
1 cup arborio rice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/6 cup grated Parmesean cheese
1/2 Tbsp ground sage

1) Heat oven to 450. Place squash in large bowl. Toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil and salt. Roast in oven until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool.
2) Place vegetable broth in saucepan and bring to simmer.
3) Heat remaining olive oil and butter in 4 qt saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until softened, 5-7 minutes.
4) Stir in rice and garlic and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
5) Reduce heat to medium low. Add 1/2 cup of summering broth, stirring until each addition is absorbed before adding the next.
6) Stir in squash, parmesan, and sage. Simmer 1 minute.
Serves 4.
Each serving has:

Calories		249.6
Total Fat		12.3 g
Cholesterol		14.2 mg
Sodium		1,107.3 mg
Potassium		355.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate		30.1 g
	Dietary Fiber	0.4 g
Protein		5.8 g