King Prawn, Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

One of my favourite things in Spring time is asparagus. I absolutely adore it on its own topped with hollandaise, to use as soldiers to dip in runny boiled eggs, or just resting by the side of my meat slathered in butter.

Rich in antioxidants and a fighter against many types of cancer and packed full of vitamins, this tasty veg is grown in the UK generally from May onwards, meaning that really there should be no reason not to eat it.

Using asparagus in a spring risotto is a fab and scrummy way to incorporate it in your diet, and despite the myths- it's not all that hard.

So to feed a modest amount to four people you will need the following:

300g Arborio Rice
200g king prawns
1 pack/bundle of asparagus
1 large glass of dry white wine/ 1 small bottle
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
2 vegetable stock cubes
100g grated parmesan
1 knob of butter
Handful of chopped parsley


First off you will need to make up your stock in a pan either using fresh stock or a stock cube and boiling water to make up about a litre. Bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, chop the gnarley woody bits off the bottom of your asparagus, and then chop into three equal-sized pieces (I also leave two stalks whole per person of fancy shmansy decoration). Pop the asparagus into your boiling stock, and when tender (after about 4/5 mins) remove from the stock and place into a bowl of icey cold water to blanch it. Set to one side.


Next, chop your onion, nice and small as it's not a main ingredient in this risotto. You then need to pop this into a heavy-bottomed pan with 2 tablespoons of oil and soften over a medium/low heat. After five minutes, crush 2 garlic cloves into your softening onions. Now add your risotto rice. Pour it all in at once and continuously stir, making sure all the grains are coated by the oil, which will start to turn transluscent. At this stage you need to add your vino. Bung it all in, maybe have a cheeky swig...you are the chef after all.

Whilst stirring, let the wine reduce until it has almost completely disappeared. Now it's time to add a ladel of your stock...just a ladel.

You then need stir, and wait, and stir and wait,until the rice has soaked up almost all of the liquid, and then add another ladel and repeat for about 25 minutes.



After 15 minutes or so, your rice should puff up
as it soaks up more and more moisture.

After 25 minutes, add your asparagus and prawns and then proceed to taste the rice, it should have a bit of bite (al dente) but not too much, you will have to be the judge but be sure to not overcook as you will get stodge - and no one likes stodge!!

Once you are happy with the rice, you need to add one large ladel of stock, take it off the heat and then transform this rice into a creamy, oozey delight. To do this you will need to add your parmesan, big knob of butter, parsely, and the juice of a lemon and season with pepper and give it a big ol' stir.

See? Didn't I tell you...oozey and creamy!

Cover with a lid and let it stand for a minute before serving.

Yum.

There are plenty of scrumptious combinations to use for risottos, my other favourites include porcini mushroom & gorgonzola, and pea & mint.

At around 500 calories per portion, offering you vitamins and protein it's a fab way to wow your guests, partner or family.