Following on from our last recipe, we will now be revealing more secrets from our menu.

This recipe is for our special Risotto Merluzzo – smoked cod and leek risotto.

This dish is a relatively new addition to the menu, making its first appearance on our specials board.

It became apparent it was a customer favourite when many started to request the dish after the specials board was changed.

So, when the next version of the menu was to be released, it sparked off an introduction of more risotto dishes, including Risotto Gamberoni (king prawns) and Risotto Limone e Asparagi (lemon and asparagus), along with the favourite Risotto Funghi (mushroom).

This dish is gluten-free, but please check the ingredients of your fish stock to make sure.

The main secret is to taste all the way through the cooking process. Every recipe can be adapted to each individual taste. If you like garlic, add extra garlic; if you like spicy food, add some chilli.

Our regular customers often add their own ingredients to this dish when they order, including ginger and chilli. As we cook everything from scratch and to order, we are able to adapt the recipe to our customer’s needs.

We use smoked cod in this recipe, but you can use most types of smoked fish. We recommend sticking to the white flaked varieties, like haddock or seabass, as the likes of salmon will add another dimension to the recipe and its ingredients may require adapting.

This recipe teaches you the way all risottos are cooked – only the ingredients change. Once you have mastered this technique, you will be a skilled chef in the art of making risotto and can impress your friends and family with your ability!

Happy cooking.

RECIPE

Risotto Merluzzo (smoked cod and leek risotto)
Ingredients (for one person)
1 litre of fish stock
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½ a white onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
100g of diced smoked cod fillet (other smoked fish can also be used i.e. haddock)
½ a leek, finely chopped
70g Arborio rice
1 glass of white wine
30ml double cream
A small knob of butter (preferably unsalted)
Grated parmesan
Black pepper
3-4 chopped chives
Recipe
1. In a frying pan, gently heat the olive oil, garlic, leeks, onions and cod, stirring frequently until the leeks and onions are soft (approximately ten minutes)
2. Add the rice and the wine to the frying pan and heat gently until the wine evaporates
3. Add three ladles of fish stock and continue to heat gently
4. As the water starts to evaporate, keep adding the fish stock until the rice is cooked to your liking. The whole process usually takes about 20 minutes. It’s very easy to burn the rice, so be careful not to let it cook dry
5. Once the rice is cooked, add the butter, a pinch of black pepper, the cream and the parmesan to the pan (do not add any salt until you have tasted the final dish as the fish stock is salty)
6. Stir everything together until hot, then serve
7. Garnish the dish with a sprinkle of the chives
8. Buon Apetitto!