When I asked Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats if she’d like to get together for dinner with a few others while we are in Sydney for my writing class this weekend, she said she’d love to meet us and would I like a guest post. Lately, nobody offers me a guest post without wanting commercial links in there and I always say no thanks but this was different. I know how busy I am with life and the olds and everything else so I know how tough it would be to put a post for someone else together in a very short time but she did it and beautifully done too.
What a magical recipe developer and photographer she is. I’ll be seeing her in person tomorrow night! I asked more than once if she was sure and well, here’s her post. I can’t believe she fibbed!
Hiya! I’m Nagi from RecipeTin Eats. Super honoured to be here doing a guest blog for one of my favourite blogs!
Coming here to Maureen’s blog is like chatting to a friend. I often tell her that I gave up gossip magazines when I discovered her blog. Nowadays when I take my morning tea break, I make a cup of tea, pull up her site and read with amusement at the latest antics going on in her life.
She’s truly a gifted story teller and a one-of-a-kind blogger. There are very few writers in this world that can have me in stitches like she can. And I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to call her my friend.
So when I found out she and John were driving instead of flying to Sydney [this weekend], I immediately offered to do a guest post for her because I knew it
would be difficult to keep up regular posts while on the road. She accepted gratefully, but not after quadruple checking that it really wasn’t too much of a burden for me. “Maureen!”, I emailed after the 4th time she checked. “I wouldn’t have offered if I couldn’t manage it!”
“Are you sure?”, she replied, worryingly. “If it’s too much, it’s not one bit of a problem.” So to put an end to it, I told her a big fib. “Oh, I have plenty of recipes in stock. It will take me hardly any time to knock one out for you,” I replied, breezily.
Well, it wasn’t a total fib. I do have some recipes “in stock”. But after browsing through them repeatedly, I deemed none of them to be food that’s better
than…..well, you know…..
So I had a quick brainstorm. Something luscious, but not too “risky” because I have less than 24 hours to create something, shoot it, edit and write up a post on it.
Here’s what I came up with. I call it a Restaurant Style Pea and Prawn (Shrimp) Risotto. Because this is made using a restaurant secret – cooking the risotto in prawn stock made using the prawn shells and heads. The fib was totally worth it. Because THIS is food that I’m putting forward for
Maureen’s (endless?) search for food that’s better than….you know…
- 1lb / 500g large, raw, unpeeled prawns/shrimp (approximately 10 prawns)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas
- 2 cups boiling water (approximately)
- 2 to 4 tbsp unsalted butter (Note 2)
- Salt to taste
- Pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Peel the prawns and reserve the head and shells (Note 1).
- Use your fingers to coat the prawns in the garlic and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a deep fry pan (or pot) over high heat. Add the prawns and cook each side quickly until just cooked through (See Note 3 for how to tell a prawn is perfectly cooked). Remove onto a plate and loosely cover with foil.
- Add the prawn heads and shells and white wine into the fry pan. Simmer for to 3 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated.
- Add the chicken stock and water, bring to simmer then reduce to medium high.
- Crush the prawn heads and shells using a potato masher (to squeeze out all the flavor into the stock).
- Simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally mashing the prawn heads and shells into the liquid.
- Strain the stock into a small saucepan – you should have around 1 ½ cups (don’t worry if it’s more or less).
- Add the chicken stock and tomato paste into the saucepan prawn liquid, and mix to combine. Keep warm on a low heat on the stove (covered).
- Return the fry pan to the stove with the olive oil and heat over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 15 seconds, then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent and just starting to turn golden.
- Add the Arborio rice and stir until the grains are coated in the oil and slightly translucent.
- Add 1 cup of Prawn Stock and turn down the stove to medium low. Stir until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Repeat with remaining Prawn Stock, 1 cup at a time.
- Add the peas, then add 1 cup of hot water and stir until the water is mostly absorbed. Repeat as necessary until the rice is firm but just cooked. It will keep cooking a bit when you take it off the stove.
- Stir through the salt, pepper, butter and most of the parsley, then remove from the stove.
- The risotto should be very saucy when it is taken off the stove because the rice will continue to absorb liquid while it is being served.
- Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining parsley.
straight. Break the head off with your right hand in a slight twisting motion, then gently pull it away and hopefully, the vein will be pulled out
as you pull the head away from the body. If the vein breaks, just bend the prawn and the flesh will pull apart and expose the vein. Use a skewer or small sharp knife and to "hook" under the vein, pull it up then use your fingers to gently pull it out. Then peel the shell off.
2. The more butter you use, the creamier the finish.
3. How to tell a prawn is cooked perfectly: A raw prawn is straight. A perfectly cooked prawn is a “C” shape. And an overcooked prawn curls
into an “O” shape and will be tasteless and rubbery.
4. Traditionally, parmesan is not used to garnish seafood risottos (or pastas). However, I say do as you please!!
Thank you so much Nagi! Charlie is sending a gift to Dozer. 🙂
So agree with your assessment of Maureen! I feel the same way….
great recipe for your guest post, love everything about it!
Nagi and Maureen, this *is* a restaurant-style dish! Lovely! Though I would cut back considerably on the garlic (I’m sensitive, if not actuallly allergic, to it), I don’t think I’d change anything else.
This is completely gorgeous! I love everything about it. You are so sweet to guest post for Maureen – hope you both have a wonderful time at dinner. I’m heading over to see your site!
That shrimp ! Oh my ! And that garlic! Swept off my feet over here.
Love that second photo! And the recipe looks like it really is better than . . . you know. Terrific guest post — thanks.
This looks absolutely delicious and totally like something you’d get in the restaurant! My mouth is watering.
Hope you have a nice time in Sydney!
Lovely recipe, Nagi! I feel the same way about Maureen ‘ s blog; it’s like hanging out and talking with a friend.
This sounds delicious and looks very appetizing and colorful! Thanks for the recipe!
Wow the photo is so good, I can almost taste this dish. Awesome recipe. Very nice of you to do a guest post
for Maureen and John while they were traveling.
Looks glorious maureen and cant wait to meet you Nagi
Beautiful! All of it.
Dear Maureen & Nagi,
This is a beautiful collaboration. This recipe is definitely restaurant standard because nothing beats using flavoursome prawn stock for risotto just like how you did for your prawn linguine.
I adore risotto, this looks like the best! The garlic prawns are making my mouth water ;).
Safe travels Maureen and John. Thanks Nagi for a lovely recipe… and a great summary of our Maureen. Sorry I can’t join you all for dinner, thanks Maureen for the invite xo
OMG-This looks way better than the last shrimp dish I just viewed. And what a fun post. Wish I could be at that dinner! Tonight’s dinner is looking pretty good. Way better than – You know!
I’ve been wanting to make a seafood risotto for some time now and just happen to have about 3 cups of seafood (crab, lobster, shrimp) stock in the freezer. The gorgeous picture of your prawn and pea risotto is inspirational.
This is gorgeous, thank you for sharing Nagi!
This does look lovely, and definitely restaurant worthy! We used to make mega huge amounts of lobster stock atwork using boxes of lobster carcasses. The issue was fitting it in between services as the whole place would smell, and managing without our dish washer for hours as he was allergic to shellfish and his throat would swell just breathing in all the fumes 🙂
Oh my heavens does that look good, drooling!!
You are such a lovely friend! This sounds absolutely scrumptious. 🙂
I am so envious of all you bloggers having a lovely time with Maureen in Sydney – lovely post Nagi – I both yours and Maureen’s blogs.
Sounds and looks delicious, I would love to try that!! 🙂
I do hope the drive is going well – that’s a long way. Looking forward to meeting you tomorrow night, Nagi xx
If this is better than **you know** – then I must make it immediately!! 😉 May I admit a twinge of jealousy that you had dinner together – you’re two of my favorite bloggers – such lovely ladies, both of you!
I don’t want to hurt your feelings because you weren’t here but Nagi is even better in person. I know – I didn’t think it was possible either!
What a pretty dish. I bet the taste is amazing too.
This dish looks so delicious! I’m on the lookout for some new shrimp recipes and I’m intrigued with the addition of peas with the shrimp. Not a combo I ever would have thought of.
Oh my gosh, this looks absolutely amazing! I honestly don’t know that I’ve ever had a seafood risotto, but it sounds just brilliant. Loving your blog!
This looks picture perfect! So absolutely delicious 🙂 What a great recipe!
Hope your class went well. This shrimp risotto looks fantastic, I can’t think of anything else I want for dinner tonight!
Wish you could see the sighs of awe which escaped this Ninja Baker. Wow! Nagi is a miracle worker. Sooo impressed that a scrumptious gourmet style risotto post was whipped up in 24 hours! With magnificent photos and a recipe to boot!
P.s. Bet your writing class is wonderful, Maureen.
P.s. 2. I don’t know about pinch hitting in 24 hours or less, but I’d love to do a guest post for you sans commercial links, of course =)
That looks absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful picture, and brianstormed in less than 24 hours? Awestruck.
This dish certainly looks like it belongs in a restaurant 😀
A good friend indeed along with a delicious recipe…thanks to you both!
That looks awesome! I feel like I wanna have one serving of those now.
This looks so great. Pinning this!
This looks absolutely delicious. That color and everything is spot on. Why didn’t I look at it before the weekend?….:)
Craving a bowl of risotto now. Absolutely gorgeous and totally restaurant worthy too. 🙂 Hope the bloggers dinner was a bunch of fun too. xo
I love prawns and risotto, I’ll love this version that it’s for sure it could be served in the best restaurants.
I just want to reach through my screen and grab a big bowl of this. It looks so flavorful and perfect. I must make this!
This photos are awesome, really made me craving for some pea and prawn risotto.
Wow! What a beauty! I can’t believe this was a 24 hour turn-around. Both of you are so talented and I really enjoy your blogs!
Nice to see you here Nagi and then too with such a boom-pow dish! I agree Maureen is a very talented story teller and orgasmicchef is one of my favorite blogs. The prawns heads and shells give the best flavor to stock, brilliant idea Nagi!
I’d order this in a restaurant for sure. This dish looks perfect – so flavorful, pretty, and delicious!
I totally agree with Nagi! And I love her gorgeous risotto! Bill would love it—and so would I!
Safe travels Maureen and what a beautiful post Nagi! You know there is something magical about making your own stock with prawn heads and shells. As I always buy my prawns fresh from the wet market, they always come with all of their original equipment and it would seem like a waste to just throw them away. Have a super day. Sharing, of course!
OMG! This is such a beautiful dish…I love rice and prawns…so this is totally calling my name…
Nice seeing you here Nagi…what a fun post! I really enjoy it!
Whoa! This looks amazing!
What a scrumptious looking dish! I just want to grab a fork and start eating right out of that second picture.
prawns and risottos go very well together IMHO!
Karen will vouch for me when I say this dish will be on our table soon! First risotto is one of my passions and sea food a close second with this dish you’ve hit my major buttons. BTW how is John doing, did he drive you to Sydney?
I had tried to have my R&R from Viet Nam in Australia but it just didn’t happen, I wound up Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. We’re hoping to one day to visit “the land down under” and if we do we hope to see too.
Nagi and Maureen, this dish looks fabulous! Believe it or not I’ve never made risotto, I know I know, but you guys really make me want to try it! Beautiful beautiful photography!