Lemony prawn and rocket risotto

It’s more than 2 weeks since I last blogged anything. The only excuse I have is my dissertation which is approaching its final stage *phew*. I cooked, I ate, but I just couldn’t be bothered with doing the food styling, taking pictures then writing which could be a really time-consuming task. But hey, I’m back now!!! And hopefully I won’t be disappearing for another 3 weeks or so, although considering the busy schedule ahead, I could be. I will soon be moving forward to another chapter of my life and I’m not sure if I should be sad or happy about that, but I’ll definitely shout out the big news when the time comes. So all you lovelies, bear with me and my on-off blogging for a short while ^__^

I’m making risotto today, with some leftover prawns that I don’t know what to do with. My infatuation with risotto actually started very recently when I had my very first dish of that awesome Italian rice cooked by my flatmate. I have always been a pizza and tiramisu girl, or at least I used to be. They are the two firm choices that I always stick to when dining at any Italian restaurants. But I’m a changed girl now 🙂

Before making risotto, shall we scan through some basic bits and bobs first?

• NEVER wash the rice. Let’s cook it as it is to retain the creaminess of the risotto
• Coating the rice in butter before adding liquid helps the rice to absord liquid slowly without becoming too soggy
• The broth has to be hot! So keep the stock on simmer while you’re adding it to the rice
• Add the stock one ladle at a time to avoid overcooking the rice
• Cook the rice on low heat, stirring occasionally to absorb the liquid
• Cook the rice until it is ‘al dente’, which means the grains are still a bit firm and starchy in the middle when you bite

Lemony prawn and rocket risotto

(adapted from BBC GoodFood)

INGREDIENTS: (for 2)

For the stock:

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 300 g raw prawn in their shells
• 1/2 red chilli, sliced
• 1 1/4 l fish stock

For the risotto:

• 20 g butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 300 g risotto rice
• 150 ml white wine
• 100 g rocket leaves
• 1/2 red chilli, chopped
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tbs Olive oil

METHOD:

• Peel the prawns, keep the heads and shells
• In a saucepan, heat 1 tbs olive oil and fry the prawn heads and shells  with the sliced chilli until they have toasted and changed colour. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer

• In a separate pan, melt a knob of butter and sweat the onion & garlic until soft but not coloured

• Stir the rice into the onions until completely coated in butter. Continue to cook until the rice grains start to become transparent, stirring occasionally
• Pour in the wine and simmer until totally evaporated

• Strain the stock and add to the rice, one ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed. Continue to add the stock and stir under low heat for about 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked
• Add rocket leaves and prawn at the last 3 minutes of cooking. Then add in chopped chilli, lemon juice and 2 tbs olive oil

• Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve

My first me-made risotto ever and it could be considered a success. I followed the original pretty precisely and found that juice of a lemon is too much. The scent and especially sourness of lemon overpower the sweetness of the stock. And adding all 1 1/2 l stock makes my rice a bit softer than ‘al dente’. So I slightly modify the recipe, and add a knob of butter at the end. Still, this is very yummy! I’m over the moon right now not having to walk myself to any restaurant for that dish of rice that I keep craving from time to time. What have I been cooking all these time anyway????

This post is a contribution to Our Growing Edge this month, hosted by Marnelli from Sweets and Brains. I’m making risotto for the first time, and this is something that’s worth sharing, right? ^^

So, what is your favourite risotto? I’d love to know ^^

Love,

Phuong x