Risotto with Mushrooms and Prawns

February 3, 2004

Around the time I should be in the kitchen preparing dinner, one of our Sky channels show a half-hour cooking show. There's a different presenter each night and it's interesting to see the contrasting style. Traditional British fare, innovative modern food with an Asian touch, real Ocker food from Australia, rustic Italian dishes, the Caribbean slant…

If there's one thing better than cooking, it's watching other people do it. A great pity we don't yet have Smellevision.

The chefs must have all been on an Italian jaunt in recent times because in the past couple of weeks about four of them have presented their take on risotto.

Continued exposure to the dish made me think it was time I made another batch myself. I was simmering some chicken pieces for another dish at the weekend and ended up with the basis of a good chicken stock so I was already halfway there. After finishing my dish, I added some dry white wine, some roughly chopped onion and carrot and some bayleaves to my simmering stock and let it cook for a further hour.

I used frozen raw prawns which had already had the heads and shells removed but if you have these prawn parts, you can use them to make stock.

Along with a good stock, the right rice is crucial in making a good risotto. There are various sorts to use - carnaroli, vialone nano, baldo, Calriso. However, I found Arborio rice is most commonly available in these parts, so that's my usual choice.

Risotto rices are plump and medium. They have a high proportion of amylopectin, a type of sticky starch which provides risotto's creamy texture. Don't wash risotto rice.

Today's recipe is loosely based on a couple of the dishes I saw demonstrated on TV.

Risotto with Mushrooms and Prawns

2 litres of good homemade chicken stock
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
50g dried mushrooms (I used French forest mushrooms)
1 cup boiling water
100g small white mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
seasoning
100g raw shrimps, heads and shells removed
chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chervil, chives, marjoram, dill - whatever you fancy)
2 tablespoons butter

Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water for about 30 minutes. Drain and roughly chop. The soaking water can be strained and added to the stock.

Clean and quarter the fresh mushrooms and saute them in a tablespoon of butter until tender. Season Set aside until required.

Bring the stock to the boil then turn back the heat and allow it to simmer.

Heat the first measures of oil and butter and add the onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes then add the rice. Turn over well to coat with the oil and butter. Add a couple of ladles of stock and stir until it is absorbed. Continue adding the stock and stirring until the rice is nicely al dente.

Stir in the mushrooms and reheat then add the prawns and a little more of the stock and heat through until the prawns turn pink and are cooked. Add the two tablespoons of butter and stir through. Mix in the chopped fresh herbs of your choice.

Place in a large bowl and serve.