Hoegaarden seafood risotto

SERVES 4

2 litres (70 fl oz/8 cups) good-quality chicken stock

50 g (1¾ oz) unsalted butter

1 onion, finely diced

100 g (3¼ oz) speck, finely diced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

300 g (10½ oz/1¹/₃ cups) arborio rice

330 ml (11¼ fl oz) bottle of Belgian-style wheat beer

16 raw prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined

140 g (5 oz/1 cup) frozen peas

12 scallops; if the roes are still attached, separate these from the scallop meat and reserve

200 g (7 oz) baby calamari or squid tubes, cleaned, scored in a diamond pattern, then cut into 1 x 3 cm (½ x 1¼ inch) strips

Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and maintain a gentle simmer.

Melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium–high heat. When foaming, add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the speck and fry, stirring, until browned, being careful not to brown the onion. Add 1 tablespoon of the coriander for flavour, then add the rice. Stir well to coat the rice with the buttery mixture and cook for 3 minutes. Add the beer and stir thoroughly.

Let the rice absorb the beer before adding the first ladleful of simmering stock. Stir it into the rice, and when it is all absorbed, add another ladleful. Check the heat: the rice should not absorb the stock too quickly or slowly – it should take about half an hour for all of the stock to be absorbed. When you are down to the last two ladlefuls of stock, test the rice for texture. It should be soft on the outside, but have a slight bite in the middle, similar to pasta when it is cooked al dente.

When you think you are getting close to this stage, add the prawns and peas and allow them to cook for a couple of minutes. Add some more hot stock, then add the scallops, the roes (if your scallops had them) and the calamari, stirring well so they are covered by the rice. Cook for a few minutes, then add the last ladleful of stock and the remaining coriander. Cook, stirring, until most of this liquid has been absorbed and the seafood is cooked. The rice should have a glossy, smooth and creamy texture. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

Depending on how long the rice takes to cook, you may not need to use all the stock, or you may need extra. Keep on tasting as you cook, testing for how the rice is absorbing the stock and whether or not you want to add more herbs or seasoning. You can also use the prawns unshelled for more flavour, but I find it too messy to eat them that way.

Serve with a simple green salad.

Beer Notes

Wheat beers you could use for this recipe include Hoegaarden Witbier, Feral White, Wicked Elf Witbier or Bright Brewery Razor Witbier