Friday, November 01, 2019

On the MENU this week. Prawn and Asparagus Risotto

Risotto is not that difficult to make, it just takes a bit of time standing stirring and watching while it cooks. Lynne had some crayfish stock in our freezer that she had made with the shells when we last had crayfish and it needed using. We always have risotto rice in the house and prawns in the freezer, so this turned out to be a stock cupboard dish. It is delicious and very rewarding. If you don’t make your own stock from shells – prawns or crayfish, you can buy good fish stock at Woolworths. We do not add cheese to a seafood risotto but there are no hard and fast rules. If you want to, you may

1 T olive oil – 1 T butter - 1 small onion, finely chopped - 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped - 300 g risotto rice - 100 ml dry white wine – 3 sprigs of fresh thyme - 1 litre of fish or seafood stock - 200 g peeled prawns - 125 g asparagus tips, cut into bite-sized pieces - zest of 1 lemon – salt and white pepper to taste – a few drops of Tabasco

In a separate pan, heat your fish stock to a simmer and have a ladle ready

Melt the oil and butter in a large pan and gently fry the onion and the garlic for a few moments until it is transparent, but not browning. Add the rice and stir it in until it all becomes transparent and coated in the oil. Turn up the heat and add the wine and then reduce it by half. Then slowly begin to add one ladle of stock to the pot at a time. Stir it in and then wait for it to be absorbed into the rice. When you see bubbles on the top of the rice, add another ladle of stock. Repeat and continue until the rice is cooked. It must not be mushy, but is should be creamy, not dry.  The rice needs to have a little "bite” but that doesn’t mean it should still be chalky inside. Near the end of the cooking, stir in the prawns and cook for a minute for two, then add the asparagus, and give that a minute or two. Then add the zest of lemon, season to taste and then add a few drops of Tabasco if you want a little zing of heat. Serve with a simple salad and some good crisp Sauvignon Blanc

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