Prawn, Pea and Lemon Risotto

Happy May everybody! I feel like we're in full spring mode now. Blossoms are blossoming, evenings are lengthening and I've taken the extra duvet off my bed! A hazy summer is just around the corner I'm sure but before we get to that, let's enjoy our springtime. Sometimes I feel like we skip over spring in anticipation of summer but so far we've really been treated to a beautiful season. Blossom EVERYWHERE. I have to say that I like cooking to suit the weather. This risotto is fresh and the flavours promise spring - hello fragrant mint and lemon. BUT the Arborio rice is totally down to earth and is dishing out the real talk - it is still raining a little bit people. Combined these ingredients make for the perfect spring risotto. Throw the prawns in and you've got yourself and weeknight party that's all over celebrating spring. What's not to love?
Also the beautiful thing about prawns is you only need 100g to whip up a meal for two. This means that the pricy pack I bought last week to make this becomes a little less pricy as it creates not just one meal but two! Freezing left over prawns! Revolutionary discoveries, I know. Still it means that I can enjoy king prawns two weeks on the trot and pretend I'm not a student. And that means you can too! Hurrah.
And I know risotto can be a little scary as the darned rice sometimes seems to have a life of its own. Too grainy, too soft - oh the kerfuffle. But never fear we're going to go through this step by step and by the end of your efforts in the kitchen you'll have two creamy, irresistible bowls of risotto brimming with juicy prawns, sweet peas and fresh lemon and mint. Bada bing bada boom!

For Prawn, Pea and Lemon Risotto you will need (serves 2):

150g Arborio rice
400ml vegetable stock
1/2 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
100g raw king prawns, peeled
75g frozen garden peas
3 tbsp fresh mint
4 spring onions
1 tbsp olive oil

Begin by putting a heavy iron bottomed dish or saucepan on a medium heat and add the olive oil. Then chuck in your Arborio rice and coat with the oil. Cook for a minute.

Now add the stock in gradually. Let the rice absorb the stock before you add in the next splash and continue to stir and add stock until you've added it all in. The rice should be creamy and when you add in your last splash cover the pan with a lid.

If you're using fish sauce add it in with the stock. You should use fish sauce here the same as you would use salt. So if your stock has added salt in you probably don't want to add fish sauce as it might be super salty. However if your stock has a good salt balance add a dash of fish sauce for a little taste of the sea.

As your risotto soaks up that last little bit of stock prep your other ingredients by grating the zest of 1/2 lemon, finely chopping the mint and slicing up the spring onions.

Once the stock has been thoroughly soaked up (and the rice is no longer grainy when tasted) add in the prawns and peas and stir through.

Then add the mint, lemon zest and juice and spring onions. Stir through and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the prawns are pink and the peas are hot.

Serve in bowls as it is and enjoy!

Happy springtime eating!