seafood risotto w/ sauteed spinach

i know kelvin has already shared a recipe on risotto marinara.. but, i've got a different seafood risotto here.. hehe.. it's more delicate and not as rich in tomatoes.. have a try and see which you prefer..



ingredients:
- olive oil
- seafood mix ( i used mussels, prawns, fish fillet slices and scallops. but use whatever you like)
- onion, chopped
- tomatoes, peeled and chopped (i only used 1-2)
- capsicum, seeded and diced
- chopped fresh herbs (i.e., rosemary, oregano, thyme & tarragon - use as you like.. i only put oregano and it's the dried kind)
- bayleaf
- arborio rice
- white wine
- fish/chicken stock, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper (ensure stock is simmering on a stock ready to added)
- grated parmesan cheese

method:
1. heat oil and soften onion, garlic and capsicum
2. add white wine and reduce by half (by which, we mean let it boil and evaporate half the wine)
3. add tomatoes, bayleaf and herbs.. cook for 5 minutes, or until tomato juice dissipates..
4. stir in the rice, place seafood mix on top of the rice and spoon stock over till stock covers the seafood just nice..
5. let it boil. once stock is boiling, reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.. carefully fold over with a wooden spoon and add more stock if necessary.. it's ready when rice is fluffy and moist and liquid's been absorbed..
6. stir in grated parmesan cheese.. spoon onto plates and serve!

i served sauteed spinach atop the risotto, so we can be a bit more healthy.. hehe.. it's all very simple.. basically, baby spinach leaves.. heat some olive oil, fry some chopped garlic till fragrant (not burnt!) and stir in the spinach leaves.. careful not to overcook as it cooks very fast.. serve atop the risotto or separate.. however you want it.. =)

sprinkle black pepper all over and voila!!

Risotto Marinara!

If there is one type of sauce I love for pasta, that would be the Marinara sauce. Especially when its paired with fresh seafood like clams, mussels, squid and prawns. DELICIOUS! Or better yet, LOBSTER! :D

So anyway, this was made using the basic risotto recipe which can be found on the blog and just adding the Marinara sauce.

My recipe for the Marinara sauce for this dish is,

Ingredients (serves 2)
Can of diced italian tomatoes
Basil leafs, fresh preferred.
Oregano
Bay leaf
Garlic, chopped
Portobello mushrooms, sliced
Onions, chopped
Ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Vegetable stock
Chilli, sliced (optional)

Directions
1) Sauté the garlic and onions on low heat till soft not brown. Add mushrooms, chilli and bay leaf(1-2 will do) when its becoming soft.

2) Put in the can diced tomatoes, stir and bring to a boil on low heat. Now add in a cup of stock. Stir and mix, at this time, add in the basil and oregano and a dash of black pepper. Make sure you use more basil then oregano. Don't overwhelm the sauce with the herbs too, or else you will not enjoy the sweetness of the tomato sauce.

3) Simmer and stir occasionally for about an hour. Once the sauce thickens it is ready. At this point, add abit of sugar and salt to taste. And your sauce is now ready.

If you plan to make seafood marinara pasta, you should put in your seafood when the sauce is near completion and just pour the sauce over the cooked pasta.

For the risotto I made, what I did was after cooking the risotto, I added the sauce and seafood and mixed it together with my risotto and added parmesan cheese to my liking.

Making your own sauce is time consuming, but the end result is a wonderful homemade sauce unlike the can ones you can buy. This took me about almost 2hours to make, but it was well worth it when you get a delicious end result!! :)

Pesto Risotto With Poached Salmon.

(If your wondering what is that on the right, its just iceberg lettuce with caesar dressing and toasted bread crumbs.)

This is something I made today with great success! Althought I made the pesto beforehand a few days ago. Pesto is really nifty because it can be used for so many things.

Firstly, I'll start with the pesto sauce. You can either use a food processor or the good old fashion way, mortar and pestle.

Ingredients:
Garlic, 2 cloves
Pinenuts, Handful
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt (I normally use Sea Salt)
Ground Black Pepper
Fresh Basil Leave, Handful
Parmesan Cheese, Small bowl grated

Directions:
1) Roughly chop the garlic. If using a food processor just chuck it in whole. Tear the basil leaves. chuck that in too. Note, use the leaves only. Blitz the garlic and basil leaves.

2)Now add the pinenuts in. Add a good glug of extra virgin olive oil in. Blitz till you get something like a purée.

3)Now add the cheese in. I would recommend not to put it all in so that you can get the texture you want. We are looking for a smooth purée texture. You can compensate by using more extra virgin olive oil if you find the texture too sticky.

4)Finally add salt and black pepper to taste.

Voila! Easy to make and quick. Now you can store it in the fridge or freezer if you plan to use it in the future.


Now for the risotto.

Ingredients:
Risotto Rice
Garlic
Onion
Butter
Dry White Wine
Parmesan Cheese, Grated
Appropriate Stock
Salt
Ground Black Pepper

Directions:
1) Sauté the finely chopped garlic and onions on low heat with a generous amount of butter. You should be looking for it to soften and turn yellow, not brown.

2) When you get that, turn up the heat and put the risotto rice in. Fry till translucent and stirring constantly.

3) Now add 1-2 glasses of white wine. I added 2 because I love the taste of wine :) Let the rice absorb the flavours of the wine. You should be smelling a fantastic aroma at this stage. Add a bit of salt at this point.

4) Once the rice has absorbed the white wine and the alcohol has evapourated, add in the heated stock. 1 ladle at a time. The reason for this is we want to get the correct texture. And not end up with porridge. So everytime the stock is absorbed into the rice, add in another ladle of stock. If you do run out of stock, you can use water. I made enough stock to fill 3/4 of the pot I was using and it was slightly more than needed.

5) You will notice the starch coming out from the rice which makes for great texture. We are looking for the risotto to be soft but still needed to bite. Once you get that, turn the heat off and add in the cheese bit by bit and stir. Add in some butter to enhance the taste and texture. Once you get a nice smooth texture, add black pepper and more salt if you want to taste then allow it to sit for a few minutes.

This recipe can be used for several different types of risotto's. You just need to vary the ingredients with your own creativity!



And finally, the poached salmon

Ingredients:
Salmon Steaks, skin removed
Onions
Butter
Stock
Dry White Wine
Salt
Ground Black Pepper

Directions:
1) Sauté the onions till soft with butter on low heat.

2) Turn up heat slightly and add stock. Put the salmon in and pour white wine over salmon. A glass would be nice.

3) The level of stock should be almost covering the salmon. Add some salt and black pepper to taste.

4) Now cover and let it simmer for about 15mins or when you use a fork to poke the salmon, it should flake.

Serve discarding the sauce and onions. This dish can also be served with a variety of sauces. Again up to your taste!