A touch of vermouth adds complexity to this stunning seafood risotto.
20 live langoustine
about 1 litre/1¾ pint chicken stock
3 bunches cherry tomatoes on the vine
6 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling and frying
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 banana shallots, finely chopped
500g/1lb 1oz risotto rice, such as arborio or carnaroli
2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
100ml/4fl oz white vermouth
knob of butter
1 lemon, juice only
2 courgettes (not too large), thinly sliced
100g/4oz parmesan, finely grated
small bunch fresh basil
Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6.
Blanch the langoustine in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, remove the heads and place them in a saucepan. Set the rest of the langoustine aside. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and heat gently.
Place the tomatoes in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper; roast for about 30 minutes, or until softened.
For the risotto, heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large shallow pan or risotto pan. Fry the shallots for five minutes, or until softened. Add the rice, stirring to coat it in the oil. Stir in one chopped garlic clove and the vermouth. Cook until the liquid is absorbed.
Stir a knob of butter and a dash of lemon juice into the rice. Stir in the courgettes and a ladleful of hot stock. When the stock has been absorbed, remove the tomatoes from the vine and crush into the pan using the back of a spoon. Continue to add stock, allowing each ladleful to become absorbed until the risotto is creamy, but still retains a little bite.
Stir in nearly all the parmesan and half of the basil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Cover and set aside.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, add the remaining garlic and langoustine and fry for two minutes.
Spoon the risotto into warmed bowls and arrange five langoustine on top of each serving. Finish with a sprinkling of parmesan and some torn basil leaves.
Type the ingredients you want to use, then click Go. For better results you can use quotation marks around phrases (e.g. "chicken breast"). Alternatively you can search by chef, programme, cuisine, diet, or dish (e.g. Lasagne).
BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
