The risotto with courgettes and prawns it is a very easy first course to prepare in a short time, but at the same time tasty, tasty and elegant. Like pasta with courgettes and shrimps, this risotto represents the perfect blend of flavors between vegetables and shellfish. Our recipe also calls for blending the courgettes while they are cooking: in this way you will have a risotto creamy and full of flavours, thanks also to the use of leek, delicate and fragrant. Risotto with courgettes and prawns can be prepared all year round, but it is truly delicious in the summer, when the courgettes are in season and frequent fishing allows always have fresh shrimp and shellfish. To make this risotto you will need some vegetable broth which you can make at home by following our easy recipe or which you can prepare after experimenting with the recipe for homemade stock cubes. And if you love the combination of zucchini and shrimp, try preparing homemade linguine with zucchini and shrimp pesto!

Preparation

1

To prepare the risotto with zucchini and shrimp, start by preparing the vegetables. Wash, dry and finely chop the parsley, then set aside. Wash and dry the leek, remove the outer layer and cut it in half lengthwise. Slice it to obtain crescents.

2

Wash the courgettes and dry them. Cut off both ends, then split them in half. Cut them into cubes. The size is indifferent because they will then be blended.

3

Pour 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a saucepan. Turn the heat on to medium and wait 1 minute before adding the leek. Brown the leek for 3-4 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon so that it does not burn. Add the courgettes, sauté them for 3 minutes with the leek. Pour half the dose of vegetable broth and cook the courgettes for 15 minutes.

4

While you wait for the courgettes to cook, clean the prawns: remove the head by gently pulling with your fingers, shell them and, with a toothpick, remove the intestine from the back. Leave about 10 whole shrimp aside, cut all the others into three pieces.

5

In another non-stick pan, pour the other 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Turn the heat on to medium flame and add a clove of peeled garlic and the chopped chilli pepper. As soon as the garlic is golden, add the prawns (both the pieces and the whole prawns), sauté them over high heat for 2 minutes and then blend them with the white wine. Add the chopped parsley, turn off the heat and cover with a lid.

6

Check the cooking of the courgettes and add the salt. Once cooked, use an immersion blender to make them creamy.

7

Pour the rice into the zucchini cream, adding 1 ladle of vegetable broth. Let it cook for the minutes indicated on the rice package, adding the broth a little at a time and stirring constantly. When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, add the chopped shrimp and mix. Stir in the butter.

8

Serve and add the shrimp kept whole as a decoration.

Advice and tips

You can add grated lemon peel to your risotto Untreated: it will give a lot of freshness to the dish.

You can use variations of rice, such as Vialone nano or Roma. The important thing is to use risotto rice.

For those who like it, you can also add a grated Parmesan during creaming. The pairing fish-cheese is not a taboo: the important thing, however, is not to overdo it, so that the cheese does not cover the taste of the fish.

You can keep some parsley to add on the final dish, as a decoration.

You can use different types of shellfish. For example, you can opt for slightly larger prawns, or for prawns, a type of crustacean with a grayer color than prawns and a more delicate flavour. Another alternative is to use king prawns, in that case we advise you to cut them into small pieces and keep 2 whole on a plate as decoration.

If you want, you can also use frozen shrimp. You can use them still frozen or let them thaw at room temperature before using.

storage

We advise you to consume the risotto with zucchini and shrimp immediately. If it were to advance you can keep it in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 day maximum. The next day you can heat it in a pan with a ladle of hot broth, to be added little by little. We advise against freezing it.