One more week down. Almost two more to go now. Still feeling unproductive at work, lowly efficient and trying my best to keep it going. It’s good to at least know that we are more than halfway there. And that maybe, just maybe, the worst is over for now.
I recall having my first plate of risotto back in… 2001? 2002? That was almost twenty years ago, gosh, it was that long ago. And that was during one of our first few dates that we had, at Suntec City, in one of the Italian restaurants around the mall fountain. I recall the taste was very exquisite and cheesy, with the risotto portioned out nicely in a shallow dish. I can no longer remember the exact flavours anymore now that my memory is failing me, but the fond memories are here to stay.
Nowadays, when I cook risotto at home, I will briefly recall those fond moments and wonder about how that particular dish of risotto was cooked. Cooking this dish is an art in itself, because one needs to use the right type of grain (arborio – nothing else will work), be patient in getting the rice cooked to the exact required texture by adding the stock gradually, cup-by-cup and add in only enough flavours to the rice without overwhelming the entire dish.
I love cooking my risotto with cheese, sometimes with additional mild flavours such as mushrooms, seafood and ham. This recipe here takes slightly more effort because I’ve added in some seafood as well to serve up a more filling meal for both the boys at home.
Hope you will enjoy this!
Ingredients:
- Water: 3 cups
- Chicken stock cube: 1
- Olive oil: 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp
- Garlic: 2, finely chopped
- Arborio rice: 1 cup, rinsed
- Brown mushroom: 100g, sliced
- White wine: 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup
- Butter: 2 tbsp
- Parmesan cheese: 1/4 cup, grated
- English parsley: 1 stalk, roughly chopped
- Salt: to taste
- Ground blackpepper: to taste
- Prawn: 300g, peeled and deveined
- Basil leaves: 100g, finely chopped
- Lemon: 1
Method:
- In a saucepan, simmer water with chicken stock cube. Set aside and keep warm.
- In a separate saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and saute 1 garlic till fragrant.
- Add arborio rice and mushrooms. Cook 1min.
- Add 1/2 cup white wine and simmer 2min.
- Add 3/4 cup stock to rice each time till all is gone (about 20min).
- Remove from heat. Stir in butter, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and blackpepper. Set aside.
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil in skillet.
- Add 1 garlic and saute till fragrant.
- Add prawns and cook 2min till pink.
- Add 1/4 cup white wine. Simmer 2min.
- Add basil, salt and blackpepper. Squeeze in juice from half a lemon.
- Add risotto into skillet. Stir to combine.
- Squeeze in remaining juice of lemon. Garnish with remaining parmesan cheese and basil to serve.
Trick:
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Make sure to use a fresh block of parmesan cheese from which to grate so that your plate of risotto can taste fresh and perfect!
Serving:
3 persons