A version of the Italian Risotto, kritharoto is a popular dish in Greece but it is made with a pasta resembling orzo called kritharaki. Being a little smaller and not as smooth as orzo, kritharaki absorbs all the flavours of the dish better than orzo. You can buy kritharaki from most Greek food suppliers. I use the one made by Greka Foods who use milk in their recipe.
Pasta goes very well with seafood, a favourite of mine being lobster spaghetti, and this one does not disappoint. Danger points:
- Don’t overcook the prawns. They require a maximum of 2 minutes as they continue cooking beyond turning your heat source off.
- Don’t overcook the whole dish. The same principle applies as in risotto. Remove from the heat while cooked but fairly runny still.
I love the versatility of kritharoto – it is one of these great dishes that you can make with things you have in your fridge, cupboard and freezer even. Don’t be scared to experiment and add other vegetables to it.
Ingredients
Serves 6-8 as a starter, 4 as a main course with just some green salad
- 15 king prawns cut in two or three pieces each
- 1 pinch of salt
- 30ml olive oil
- 200g kritharaki
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 green and 1 red bell peppers finely chopped (I substitute the red bell pepper with a sweet pointed one (Florina pepper) if I can find them
- 1 sticks of celery finely chopped
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- A few heritage tomatoes for freshness and colour (not essential)
- 100ml of dry white wine
- 1lt stock made with the prawn heads (if your prawns are shelled, use fish or vegetable stock)
- Salt, pepper to season
- Finely chopped parsley, zest of half a lemon and a little extra virgin olive oil to serve
Instructions
Remove the heads and shells of the prawns and put aside to use to make the stock.
With the tip of a knife remove the vein running the length of the prawn, wash and pat them dry.
Bring saucepan containing 1200 ml of water with a pinch of salt, to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Strain the stock to a clean pan and keep it over low heat.
In a sautéing pan, add the olive oil and bring to medium heat.
When hot, add the onion, peppers and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the kritharaki and turn the heat up. Stir everything for a couple of minutes.
Add the wine, stirring till it gets fully absorbed.
Add the chopped tomato and stir. Immediately, start adding the prawn stock a ladle at a time till each one is almost fully absorbed. Just a couple of minutes before you think the kritharaki will be fully cooked, add the heritage tomatoes and then the prawns. Give everything a good stir and cook for a couple of minutes, adding the salt and pepper to season. Remove from the heat while the kritharoto is cooked but still a bit runny.
Adjust seasoning, add the lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice and serve.
Finish by sprinkling the chopped parsley and drizzling some virgin olive oil.