Risotto alla Milanese with Prawns by The Aproned Greek

Risotto alla Milanese combines the delectable flavours of Saffron and Parmesean. Today's recipe is brought to us by Chef Alex Papadopoulos. Find him cooking up Mediterranean delights at Hydra Estiatorio Mediterranean Restaurant in Vancouver, Canada. 

Servings: 2 as a main course

Ingredients: 
300 grams arborio rice
1.5 ltr vegetable stock
6-8 tiger prawns
2 portobello mushrooms
10-12 threads of Krokos Kozani Saffron
90 gr parmesan cheese
100 gr Thalia dry white wine
50 ml Philotimo Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
110 gr butter
1 white onion
mastihashop salt, pepper, to taste

Risotto Instructions:
Peel the prawns and sauté the shells and heads till brown. Add 6-8 Krokos Kozanis saffron threads to 1. 5 litres of water and let it boil for and hour to essentially create a fish broth.

Peel and dice one onion and cut the portobello mushrooms.

Sauté the onions and mushrooms together till soft and add half a cup of Thalia white wine, cooking it until it evaporates.

Add 400 gr of the rice and cook it for 2-3 minutes on low heat. 

The broth must be added in small doses, waiting until the rice absorbs the broth before adding more. Repeat this till you use about a litre of the broth. 

You will begin to see the difference after about 8-9 minutes, the texture of rice starts changing. At this point add the salt, pepper and butter and stir in well.

Turn off the burner and add the Parmesan, fresh dill and rosemary. 

Prawn Instructions: (Optional)
On medium heat add butter and oil to a pan. Stir in some garlic and red pepper flakes (optional). Saute for a minute, then add the shrimp. Add some white wine and stir to coat shrimp. Increase the heat and let it cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.

Add the prawns to the risotto and enjoy! 

For more delicious recipes follow Alex at @theapronedgreek on Instagram.