In Season: Risotto with Spot Prawns and Asparagus

Seasons are fleeting.  And so their bounty is all the more precious for being so ephemeral.  Two of my favourites, spot prawns and asparagus, are already towards the end of their peak.  And although it's true that a good fishmonger will have frozen spot prawns throughout the year (Fisherfolk for example), and that asparagus is a staple in every grocery store year round, it's in season goods that I crave.  The perfect dish to showcase fresh spot prawns and asparagus so tender that you can eat the whole stalk?  A delicious al dente risotto, ready in minutes and savoured slowly.  As summer offically starts, this may be the last weekend to make this wonderful dish.

Risotto with Spot Prawns and Asparagus
serves two

A note on the recipe:  Whenever we cook shrimp, I save the shells and freeze them.  They make an excellent base for a delicious shrimp-flavoured broth that adds depth to soups and dishes such as this.  If you do not have shells available, increase the amount of chicken stock to 4 cups and skip steps two and three of the recipe.

8-10 oz fresh spot prawns
2 tbsp each lemon juice and lemon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil*
Shells from 2 lbs shrimp
2 c water
½ tsp salt
2 small carrots
4 small stalks celery, preferably from the tender heart
1 large shallot, peeled and halved
2 tbsp olive oil
2 oz pancetta, minced
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½ inch pieces**
1½ c Arborio rice
½ c white wine
2-3 c chicken stock

*We love Olivers and Co.'s Lemon Specialty Olive Oil for its bright taste and unique flavour. It's terrific on salads with a little balsamic and salt and pepper. Use regular extra virgin olive oil if lemon flavoured oil is not available.

**If you've got your hands on really fresh asparagus, don't snap the ends off - simply trim the tough outer skin at the bottom of the stalk and use the whole darn thing. 

1. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil and shrimp in a small bowl and marinate.  Proceed with shrimp broth while shrimp are marinating.

For shrimp broth:

2.  Combine shrimp shells, water and salt and bring to boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Strain shells, reserving liquid in the pan.

3.  Bring the liquid to a boil, adding the carrot, celery and shallot, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool slightly.  Puree broth to incorporate carrot, celery and shallot thoroughly.  Set aside and proceed with recipe.

4.  To cook shrimp, grill or broil with their shells until just cooked through.  Cool slightly, peel and set aside.

5.  Heat chicken broth and keep to slow simmer over low heat.  In a separate pot, heat shrimp broth and keep to slow simmer over low heat.

6.  Mince remaining carrot, shallot and celery.  Heat olive oil over medium heat, add vegetables and pancetta, cook for two minutes, until vegetables are slightly translucent and pancetta sizzling. Add rice and sauté for a further two minutes or until rice is well coated.

7.  Add white wine and stir until wine is absorbed. A cup or so at a time, and alternating between the pureed shrimp broth and chicken stock, add the liquid to the rice, ensuring that the liquid is thoroughly absorbed before adding more liquid.  This step should take about 20 minutes; your goal is to have rice that is firm (al dente) in the centre but tender.

It's worth taking a moment and hearing from Marcella Hazan on how much liquid to use in risotto:

The quantity of liquid given [in a risotto recipe] should be considered an approximate amount.  You may end up using less or slightly more than indicated, but this is not significant.  There are too many variables involved to be able to establish a "correct" amount of liquid.  What is important is never to cook risotto with too much liquid at one time, and to bring it to its final tender but firm-to-the-bite stage so that it is creamy but not saturated.

8.  Ladle the finished risotto into shallow serving bowls and garnish with the cooked spot prawns.  And there you have it. A beautiful spring-into-summer dish full of seasonal goodness.

 

Spring in a Bowl: Fava Bean, Wild Leek and Grilled Scallop Risotto

Seems that everyone in Toronto is shopping for fava beans these days, and some of us are even making the same thing with them.  Just about the time that I was reading about Isabelle's risotto with fava beans, fiddleheads and snow peas, I was making a batch of fava bean risotto of my own.  With fleeting spring greens like wild leeks and favas in season for just a few short weeks, it's worthwhile to seek them out this weekend at the farmers' market - even if you have to battle the Greek yiayias to do so.

Liz's Spring Risotto
serves 4

This delicious seafood risotto uses a hint of pancetta and chicken broth.  For a vegetarian version, omit the pancetta and use vegetable broth instead.

1½ lb. fava beans (unshelled weight)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped (enough for ¼ c)
2 oz. pancetta, chopped (optional)
Freshly ground pepper
⅓ c chicken broth
2 tbsp each unsalted butter and olive oil
One bunch wild leeks (ramps), rinsed and chopped (white and green parts)
1½ c. arborio rice, unrinsed
½ c. dry white wine, divided
4-5 cups chicken or vegetable broth, heated to a slow simmer
10-12 fresh sea scallops

1.  Shell fava beans and wash in cold water.  Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan and sauté 2 tbsp of the shallots until they are translucent.  Add the pancetta and sauté for another minute.

2.  Add the fava beans and pepper, and stir until coated.  Add the ⅓ c water, cover the pot and cook over low heat for five minutes or until just tender.  Take off the heat and cool slightly.

  

3.  Divide the beans in two batches and puree half.  Set aside whole and pureed beans in one bowl.

4.  Cook the scallops next.  I use my handy cooktop to grill the scallops until they just opaque; you can also broil the scallops, or, if you have a second cook in the kitchen, do them over an outdoor grill just before adding to the risotto (see step 7).  If you are cooking at this stage, set aside when cooked and proceed with risotto recipe.

4.  If you haven't done so, rinse and chop the wild leeks, and set aside.

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and foamy.  Add the remaining shallots and sauté until the shallots are translucent and golden. 

5.  Add the chopped wild leeks, and sauté for about a minute.  Add the rice and continue cooking gently, ensuring all of the rice is well coated with the oil.

6. Now the fun - and the slow cooking - begins.  Add the wine and stir slowly until just evaporated.  Continue adding the hot broth slowly, half a cup at a time, waiting until the broth is absorbed, before adding more.  Stir the rice constantly to ensure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan, and make sure the rice is not boiling at too high a temperature point.  The rice should take about 25 to 30 minutes to cook.  The risotto is done when the rice is chewy witn a slight firm centre - al dente.

7.  Stir in the grilled scallops and the reserved fava beans, heat through briefly and serve immediately.