Zucchini, prawn and preserved lemon risotto

This is from Greg Malouf's book Arabesque (incidentally, everything we cook out of this book has been amazing). A great risotto, full of flavour... actually one of our favourite risottos to cook. We have some homemade preserved lemon and of course, home grown zucchini!

Rumour (and Google News) has it that Greg Malouf is leaving Melbourne and MoMo is no more. Very sad day, but at least we'll still have Abla's!

2 large zucchini, cut into small batons

240g raw prawns

60ml olive oil

1 small onion, finely sliced

400g Arborio rice

1L chicken stock

150mL white wine

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

1 preserved lemon (skin only)

100g butter

2 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley

Cut zucchini into small batons. Clean prawns. Dice the skin of the preserved lemon.

To make the risotto, fry onion and 1 clove of garlic in the olive oil until browned. Add the Arborio rice and stir until all the rice is coated with the oil (a couple of minutes).

Deglaze the pan with 150mL white wine. Cook off the alcohol for a couple of minutes then add warm chicken stock (one ladle at a time.) Once each ladle of stock is absorbed, keep adding another ladle, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Continue until most of the stock has been absorbed and the rice is nearly cooked. 

Whilst the stock is being absorbed, in a separate frying pan fry the zucchinis in olive oil. Remove when cooked (approximately one minute).

Return the pan to the heat and add the prawns and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the prawns change colour (less than a minute). Remove from the pan.

Once risotto is nearly ready, add the prawns, zucchini, diced preserved lemon, parsley and the butter with any remaining stock. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.