serves
6
prep
20 minutes
cook
1:15 hour
difficulty
Easy
serves
6
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
1:15
hour
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
Prawn stock
- 50 ml olive oil
- prawn heads and shells (reserved from below)
- 50 g French shallots (eschalots), chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 50 g tomato paste
- 50 ml riesling
- 1.5 litre spring water
Buckwheat risotto
- 180 g raw buckwheat (see Note)
- 900 g green (raw) prawns
- 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
- 30 g French shallots (eschalots), finely chopped
- 1½ tsp finely chopped garlic
- 1½ tsp thyme leaves
- 450 ml hot prawn stock (see below)
- 3 tsp chopped tarragon
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 30 g grain mustard
- 30 g mascarpone cheese
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the prawn stock, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil just starts to smoke, carefully add the prawn heads and shells and cook until golden in colour, about 3–4 minutes. Add the shallot, garlic and tomato paste and continue to sauté for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the riesling and reduce until completely evaporated.
Add the water and bring to the boil, then skim the surface of the stock. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve into another saucepan. Discard the solids.
Return the strained stock to the heat and reduce to 500 ml (2 cups). If not using immediately, cool the stock and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the buckwheat risotto, cook the buckwheat in boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Clean the prawns by removing the heads and peeling off the shells. Remove the intestinal track by cutting down the back of the prawns and scrapping it out with a small knife. Reserve the heads and shells for the prawn stock. Dice the prawn meat and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic and thyme and sauté until softened and transparent.
Add the buckwheat and stir to combine well. Add all of the stock and cook until the buckwheat is tender.
Add the prawn meat and stir well to combine. Cook for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
Add the butter, mustard, mascarpone and tarragon, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Spoon into a bowl and serve immediately.
Note
• Buckwheat is available from health food stores and the health food section of supermarkets.
Original recipe from Sepia by Martin Benn, with photographs by Gary Heery and Jennifer Soo (Murdoch Books, hbk, $75).
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
