Risotto with prawns, ginger and capers

To prepare it, follow the advice of Ciccio Sultano, chef of the Duomo restaurant in Ragusa Ibla, which has two Michelin stars, and of other restaurants in Rome (Hotel W), at Palermo Airport (I Banchi di Ragusa Ibla) and in Vienna (PastaMara), just to name a few.

The chef suggests: "For this risotto to taste like the sea, the broth is essential and must be prepared carefully, crushing the shrimp heads well; the addition of seaweed also helps in this direction. The shrimp should be cooked very little so they remain soft and sweet; pairing it with a good Cognac and smoked butter enhances the flavor."

Recipe Info

• Time 2 hours
• Product 4 people

Ingredients

Procedure

• Step 1 Clean the prawns, removing the heads, shells, and the dark central gut, which would give them a bitter taste. Step 2 Peel 1 onion and the carrot and chop them into small pieces. Peel the ginger and chop it as well. Step 3 Mash the prawn heads well and toast them in the oven at 200°C for 15 minutes, along with the shells, the chopped vegetables, and half the ginger. Step 4 Bring a pot of water to a boil with a seaweed and half the raspberries, then add the vegetables, heads, and shells, along with their cooking liquid. Cook the broth for at least an hour, seasoning with salt, then strain it. Step 5 Fry a couple of tablespoons of capers in a knob of butter until crispy, then dry them on kitchen paper. Step 6: Melt a knob of smoked butter in a pan, add 12 prawns, deglaze with a splash of Cognac, let it evaporate, and immediately turn off the heat. Step 7: Peel the remaining onion and chop it along with the remaining ginger. Step 8: Sauté the chopped ingredients in a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of oil until well browned. Step 9: Add the rice and toast it. Pour in 1/2 cup of white wine, let it evaporate, then cook the risotto, basting occasionally with the strained broth. Step 10: Chop the remaining 4 prawns and add them to the risotto 3-4 minutes before the end of cooking. Step 11: Turn off the heat, let the risotto rest for a couple of minutes, then stir in 60g of cold butter. Step 12 Serve the risotto by completing it with the prawns in Cognac and their sauce, the remaining raspberries, cut into 2-3 pieces, and the crunchy capers.