South Hams Lifestyle Jun - Jul 2022

Raymond Blanc
MUSSEL AND
SAFFRON RISOTTO
Mussels and saffron are united harmoniously in this classic
risotto. There’s no need for that constant stirring. Instead, the
rice is stirred towards the end of the cooking time to activate the
starches, a trick you can use with any risotto you make.
INGREDIENTS
For the mussels
1kg fresh mussels
1 onion
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
100ml dry white wine
For the risotto
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
200g carnaroli rice (or arborio)
2 bay leaves
a couple of pinches of saffron powder or
strands
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 pinches of sea salt flakes
100ml dry white wine
300ml water (or fish stock)
To finish
50g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, at room
temperature
a handful of coarsely chopped flat-leaf
parsley
100g cooked peas (optional)
a handful of baby-leaf spinach (optional)
½ lemon, for squeezing
TO PREPARE
First, the mussels. Ensure that all
the mussels are tightly closed and not
damaged before you begin to cook;
any mussels that are damaged or open
should be discarded. The preparation
can be done in advance. Wash the
mussels in a large bowl and under cold
running water. Mussels that float at this
stage are not very fresh, so discard them.
Remove any barnacles and beards, but
don’t scrub the shells as this can end up
colouring the cooking juices. Drain.
Finely chop the onion and peeled garlic
and grate the cheese.
In a large saucepan over a medium heat,
sweat half the
onion, the bay
leaves and thyme in the
butter for 1 minute. Increase the heat to
high, add the mussels, pour in the wine,
cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes.
Drain in a sieve over a large bowl and
discard any mussels that have not
opened. Reserve the cooking juices,
you will need about 200ml to make the
risotto. Once the mussels have cooled,
pick the mussels from their shells, leaving
a few in their shells for decoration, and
put them all aside.
Now, to the risotto. Melt the butter in a
large saucepan on a medium heat.
Add the remaining onion, cover with a
lid and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the
onion is translucent. Add the garlic and
stir in the rice. Add the bay leaves, saffron
and cayenne pepper and lightly season
with salt. Stir and continue to cook on
a medium heat for 2 minutes, until the
grains of rice are shiny.
Pour in the wine and let it boil for 30
seconds – bubble, bubble – and stir.
Pour in the mussel cooking liquor and the
water or fish stock and stir again.
Now cook on the gentlest simmer, with
just a single bubble breaking the surface.
Cover with a lid and leave for 20 minutes,
but it mustn’t boil.
Now it’s time for 5 minutes of some
serious and fast stirring. At full speed, stir
the risotto. The grains rub against each
other, extracting the starch, and this gives
the rice its creaminess. Yet every grain
remains whole, unbroken.
Taste – the rice should have a slight bite.
Add the cheese, butter and parsley to the
risotto, along with the cooked peas and
spinach, if using, all the cooked mussels
and a strong squeeze of lemon. Stir, taste
and correct the seasoning just before
serving.
SERVES
4
PREP
20
Simply Raymond: Recipes from Home by Raymond Blanc
(£25, Headline) is out now
Photo credit: Chris Terry
14 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk
COOK
40