Risotto Ai Frutti di Mare Recipe

Now, you might not know this but... IT'S SEAFOOD MONTH AT OREGANO. Ahem. So, we've decided to furnish you lovely people with a stunning seafood recipe that you can try at home! And it's a corker: Risotto Ai Frutti di Mare. Bursting with tasty seafood but truly simple to make, this refined dish will win you major points at your next dinner party/date night. 

Preparation and Cooking time - 60mins. 

Ingredients:

600ml              vegetable or fish stock

80ml                olive oil

45g                   unsalted butter

1                       small onion, chopped

250g                 Arborio rice

125ml              dry white wine

500g                 mixed seafood (preferably mussels, calamari and prawns)

65g                   chopped plum tomatoes

65g                   fresh parsley

2.5g                  chopped garlic

1 tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil

70g                   freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)

Method

1. In a small saucepan, warm the fish or vegetable stock.
2. Add the olive oil to a large saucepan, put on a low heat.
3. Add 35g of butter and the chopped onion. Sauté by stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until onion is tender. There should be no colour or browning).
4. Add the rice and toast lightly for 1 minute without letting the rice or onion take on any colour.
5. Add the wine and cook until almost completely absorbed. 
6. Add enough stock so it's about 1cm above the rice and bring to a simmer. 
7. Cook the risotto for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice has absorbed some of the liquid.
8. Add the seafood and tomatoes to the pan and stir occasionally, until the seafood is cooked and the rice is al dente (firm to the bite) for a further 6 minutes. As the rice continues to absorb the liquid, add more as needed.
9. Remove the risotto from the heat and add the parsley, garlic, olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano (if you're using it) and the remaining butter. Stir well to release the starches and make the risotto creamy. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

And there you have it folks! A breathtakingly sophisticated dish, which requires nothing more strenuous than stirring! Got to love it...