Little green jewels

Today's the day ..................... for a recipe

Here's one of my favourite recipes.  It uses broad beans (in this case frozen), one of my favourite vegetables that always makes me think of summer days.  Obviously, you can adapt it to your chosen ingredients - but it always works and tastes delicious ................

Lemon risotto with broad beans and prawns
 
Serves 3
Prep: 15 mins
Cook : 30 mins
 
250g frozen broad beans
Half a veg stock cube
1 small unwaxed lemon
100g peeled prawns
Small onion
50g butter
200g risotto rice
2 tbsp dry vermouth or 4 tbsp white wine
50g parsley
 
Method
Boil kettle and measure 850ml water into a pan.  Add frozen broad beans and simmer until they come up to the surface.  Scoop them off and skin them (if required).  Set aside.
Dissolve the stock cube in the water and leave on a very low heat.  Remove the zest from the lemon in paper-thin scraps.  Squeeze the lemon juice over the prawns.
Peel and finely chop the shallots.  Melt 25g butter in a sauté or wide-based pan and gently soften the shallots, allowing about 10 mins.
Stir in the rice and lemon zest, cook for a couple of mins, then add the vermouth or wine and let it bubble away into the rice.  Add half the stock and establish a steady simmer, stirring once or twice, for about 15 mins until the rice is beginning to swell and the stock absorbed. 
Pick the leaves from the parsley stalks and finely chop.  Stir the remaining stock into the risotto and continue as before for a further 8 mins or so until the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid and is tender, but with a bite in the centre.
Stir in the remaining butter to slacken further, then stir in the prawns and their juices, the skinned beans and parsley.  Cover and leave for 5 mins before serving.