Prawn and pea risotto

by Paul Warburton on 26 March 2010  |  4 comments
Tweet

Check out this amazing recipe for prawn and pea risotto – for £1.50 per person!

Welcome to our new Frugal Recipe blog! If you're registered on lovemoney.com, you can follow this blog and find new posts as soon as they are published, via your personal homepage. Never miss a frugal recipe again - register now.

Prawn and pea risotto (Serves 4)

The simplicity of risottos never ceases to amaze me. For me they deliver the fine balance of comfort and sophistication. Never underestimate just how good a risotto can be – just make sure you keep stirring to release the starches and create a silky finish.  

Ingredients

• 250g of raw peeled king prawns (£3)
• 1 lemon (30p)
• 6 shallots (88p)
• 500g of arborio rice (94p)
• 900g value frozen peas (87p)

The cupboard staples...

Salt, black pepper, olive oil and 2 fish stock cube (for just under 2 pints of stock)

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Tesco’s where it came to £5.99 - that's £1.50 per head!

Instructions

• First up, cook the peas in salted boiling water and then drain.
• Put a few glugs of olive oil in a saucepan and get up to a medium heat – when the oil is hot, add some finely diced shallot and cook through until translucent. Now add 300 grams of rice, season well and keep stirring. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Now gradually add (a ladle at a time) some hot stock to the pan (stirring all the time). Keep doing this until all the liquid has been absorbed into the rice. You’ll get a sore arm but keep stirring! It’s worth it.
• Once all the liquid has been absorbed, add the prawns, peas (250 grams) and the juice of one lemon.
• Simmer for a further minute until the prawns are cooked through and it’s done. Easy.
• Happy eating!

A bit about the Frugal Recipes chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Friday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

“Paul's recipes are excellent. The pork stroganoff has been his best so far, it competes well against beef, but is far more economical. I cannot wait to try the latest - braised oxtail and autumn mash.” John Edmunds

"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

"Another delicious offering from Paul. Thank you - keep 'em coming!" Palefire

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other Frugal Recipes:

Honey roasted gammon and apples with champ Hot chocolate fondants with crème Chantilly Shin of beef, kidney and ale pie Tandoori chicken with coconut rice & mint raita | Homemade gnocchi with a tomato & thyme sauce, spinach and ricotta  | Frugal Pancakes | Griddled black pudding, chimichurri mash and caramelised apples  | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice  | Lamb koftas with a feta, mint and chickpea salad & chilli grilled pittas  | Pork, rosemary and white bean ravioli with a chilli tomato sauce  | Sausage & leek casserole with parsley dumpings | Pork, chorizo & cannellini bean stew | Rabbit, bacon & thyme pie | Potato rosti with creamed spinach and poached egg | Pumpkin and sage risotto | Slow braised oxtail with autumn mash | Spiced whole mackerel with chickpea salad | Twice cooked belly pork (with gravy) parsnips and sweet apple red cabbage | Roasted pheasant | Portobello mushroom, port and stilton wellington | Lemon tart with fresh vanilla mascarpone | Massaman curry |  Smoked mackerel pate on crostini and red onion confit  |Rolled breast of lamb with garlic mash and Savoy cabbage | Lemon & rosemary chicken thighs |  Thai Pollock curry with egg noodles | Chunky pea and ham soup| Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt |  Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne |  Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lancashire) hotpot

Remember, if you're registered on lovemoney.com, you can follow this blog and find new posts as soon as they are published, via your personal homepage. Never miss a frugal recipe again - register now.