Prawn and sweetcorn “risotto” is an imitation of traditional risotto that’s healthier and just as delicious. If you’re trying to include more protein and minerals in your diet or just want a delicious, flavourful meal, this is definitely for you.
Nutritional facts:
Is it possible that there could be a tastier way to obtain superior protein with a zero carbohydrate count than prawns?
PRAWNS are low in calories, have virtually no fat and are considered a “complete” protein, meaning all nine amino acids are present. Regarded as part of a heart-healthy diet, this excellent quality protein has half the calories of chicken and a third of that of beef (not that anyone is counting, but just for the record). They are packed with iron, selenium, B vitamins and other nutrients, providing a nourishing and healthy choice for any mealtime. When it comes to prawns, there are no rules. Eat them for breakfast, lunch or supper – that’s your business. With loads of phosphorus for bones, zinc for a healthy immune system and oodles of magnesium responsible for over 3 000 enzymatic reactions in the body – who wouldn’t want to eat prawns whenever they could?
An ear of SWEETCORN has roughly the same amount of calories as an apple, with just a quarter of the sugar content. And cooking it increases the antioxidant activity. It’s also packed with two really remarkable phytochemicals that promote healthy vision – lutein and zeaxanthin – and one medium ear of sweetcorn offers around 3g of fibre. The carb content for a medium ear of sweetcorn is around 15g (minus the fibre gives you 12g nett carbs) with plenty of vitamin C, iron, vitamin A, a little protein and some important minerals.
Prawn and sweetcorn “risotto”
Ingredients
- 4 whole fresh corn cobs
- 3L (12 cups) water
- 5ml (1 tsp) salt
- 200g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 100g salted butter
- 12 medium-sized whole prawns, deveined and shelled
- small handful shredded fresh mint
- 60ml (¼ cup) chilli oil
- 2 limes
- extra Parmesan shavings for garnishing
Instructions
Place the corn cobs into a saucepan with the water and 5ml (1 tsp) salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Once tender, remove the cobs from the water, but do not discard the water. Peel the outer husks from the cob, ensuring you remove all the remaining stringy bits (keep the husks for your compost heap). Using a sharp knife, cut the corn kernels off the cobs on all sides, placing them into a bowl. Carefully separate each individual kernel and set the bowl aside.
Cut the core of the cobs each into 5 chunks, and put the chunks back into the cooking water. Bring it back to a boil and reduce the liquid by half. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
Placing the cobs into a blender with around 500ml (2 cups) of the cooking liquid and blitz until the cobs are liquidised – it will look a bit chunky and unappealing, but don’t worry, that is exactly how it is supposed to look. Pass this mixture through a sieve, pressing to get as much liquid out as possible. Keep the remaining pulp for compost, and place the liquid back into the saucepan. You should have around 1 litre (4 cups) of sweetcorn stock, of which you need only 250ml (1 cup) for this recipe – freeze the rest for later use.
Add the Parmesan and cup of sweetcorn stock to a saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until well combined and creamy looking.
In a separate saucepan, place the sweetcorn kernels with half of the butter and sauté for 1 minute, then add the cheesy sweetcorn stock and cook until it starts to look like a creamy risotto. Pop in the prawns and cook for another 2 minutes. Once the prawns are cooked, divide the risotto between your serving dishes and garnish with shredded mint, chilli oil, half a lime and Parmesan shavings.
Notes
Wine suggestion: Serve with The River’s End Chenin Blanc This recipe is extracted from Tasty WasteNOTS by Sally-Ann Creed and Jason Whitehead.
