We hope you enjoy our cookery column with chef Paul Watters who each week will take the fear out of cooking with his easy to follow recipes...
Serves 2
180g risotto rice, such as Arborio
200g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
8–10 asparagus spears
750ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
100ml dry white wine
40g Parmesan, finely grated
20g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste
½ lemon, juice and a little zest
Parmesan shavings, to garnish
Optional: pinch of chilli flakes
Prepare the asparagus
Trim the asparagus and cut the spears into 3–4cm pieces, keeping a few whole spears for garnish. Blanch in boiling salted water for 1–2 minutes, then drain. Alternatively, grill or pan-fry them until lightly charred.
Cook the prawns
Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan. Season the prawns with black pepper and cook for about 1–2 minutes per side, until pink and just cooked. Remove and set aside.
Start the risotto
Add the remaining oil and the butter to the pan. Gently cook the onion for 3–4 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Toast the rice
Add the Arborio rice and stir for 1–2 minutes, allowing the grains to become slightly translucent around the edges.
Add the wine
Pour in the white wine and stir until almost completely absorbed.
Add the stock gradually
Add the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring regularly. Allow each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Continue for around 18–20 minutes, until the rice is creamy but still has a slight bite.
Add asparagus and prawns.
Stir in the asparagus during the final 3–4 minutes. Add the prawns for the final 1–2 minutes just to warm through.
Finish the risotto
Remove from the heat and stir through the grated Parmesan, lemon juice and a little lemon zest. Check the seasoning. The risotto should be loose, creamy and able to gently spread across the plate.
To serve
Spoon the risotto into two warm bowls. Arrange the whole asparagus spears and prawns on top, then finish with generous Parmesan shavings, freshly cracked black pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil.
Paul’s tip
Finishing touch: Lightly char the asparagus and prawns before placing them on top — the smoky flavour works beautifully agains the creamy Parmesan risotto.
