Recipe - Marinated Grilled Prawns

Recipe by Diane Kochilas http://www.dianekochilas.com/recipe-of-the-day-ouzo-marinated-grilled-shrimp/

Ingredients

·       1 large tomato, peeled and seeded

·       1 cup extra virgin Greek olive oil

·       4 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, minced

·       2 garlic cloves, minced

·       Grated zest of 1 lemon

·       2 tbsp. ouzo (I substituted with Sambuca)

·       2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

·       Pinch of cayenne (or more to taste)

·       2 lbs. raw medium shrimp, deveined and shelled

·       Pita bread, sliced and grilled, for serving

Diane’s Instructions

·       Coarsely chop the tomato and puree in a food processor. Alternatively, grate the unpeeled tomato along the coarse side of an upright hand grater, to get the same affect. Combine the tomato with the olive oil, basil, garlic, lemon zest, ouzo, and vinegar. Mix in the cayenne, to taste.

·       Toss the shrimp in the marinade and let stand, covered and refrigerated, for one hour.

·       Preheat the grill or barbecue.

·       Divide the shrimp evenly among six or eight skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them first in water to prevent them from burning.

·       Grill the shrimp for 3-5 minutes, turning to cook on both sides. When the shrimp are bright pink, remove and serve.

My tweak

·       I love getting totally hands on when it comes to my prawn eating – as my prawns were small I left the shells on then cooked them in a baking tray on the bbq

Recipe - Risotto With Peas And Fish

I can’t remember what year it was at Taste of Sydney … but I attended a workshop held by the Alessandro Pavoni from Ormeggio and the topic of risotto came up. The 2 best tips I ever received were Use carnaroli rice (not arborio) & take the risotto left when the liquid is almost all absorbed (verses completely). Just did a little googling and more tips are here http://insidecuisine.com/2010/09/09/risotto-masterclass-with-alessandro-pavoni/ 

Serves 6


Ingredients

• 1.5 fish (make sure some smoked salmon is also included)

• 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped

• 2 litres chicken stock

• 125g butter – chopped

• 100ml olive oil

• 2 onions – finely chopped

• 150ml dry white wine

• 600g carnaroli or other risotto rice

• 350g peas

• 1 cup fresh mint – finely chopped

Method

1. Place stock in a saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat and keep at a gentle simmer
2. Heat butter and oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, add onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until almost soft
3. Add garlic and cook till both it and the onion are soft
4. Add wine and simmer until almost evaporated.
5. Add rice and cook for 2-3 minutes or until well coated in butter mixture. Add 1 cup hot stock and stir over medium heat until stock is absorbed.
6. Add remaining stock, a cupful at a time, stirring frequently, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. 
7. Just before adding the last cupful of stock, stir in fish and peas, and then stir for another 5 minutes. 
8. Add mint and stir for 1-2 minutes, then season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon risotto into bowls and serve immediately.