Prawn & Leek Rice Pilaf

📝 Ingredients

• 3 leeks (about 200 g each)
• 300 g basmati rice
• 600 g raw peeled prawns
• 25 g unsalted butter + 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 chicken stock cube + 500 ml hot water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 15 g fresh parsley
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Casserole pot with lid (24 cm)
• Fine sieve
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Fine grater
• Wooden spoon

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the rice in the fine sieve under cold running water, stirring it with your hand, for 1 to 2 minutes, until the water running out is almost clear. Leave to drain: rid of its starch, it will give nicely separate grains.
2. Trim the roots and dark green tops from the leeks, halve them lengthways and rinse under running water, separating the layers to wash out any soil. Slice into 5 mm half-moons. Chop the garlic and dissolve the stock cube in 500 ml of hot water.
3. In the casserole dish, melt the butter with the oil over a medium heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt, cover and sweat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and glossy but not coloured.
4. Add the garlic and the drained rice, then stir over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until the grains turn pearly, meaning translucent at the edges. This step coats them in fat and stops them sticking.
5. Pour in the hot stock, add the bay leaf and bring to the boil. Immediately turn the heat right down, cover and cook for 10 minutes without stirring or lifting the lid, to keep in the steam that cooks the rice.
6. Meanwhile, grate the lemon zest, then squeeze the lemon. Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper and toss with the zest, a pinch of salt and some pepper. Finely chop the parsley and keep it for the end.
7. After 10 minutes, lift the lid and quickly scatter the prawns over the rice, pressing them in slightly. Cover again and cook for another 5 minutes over a very low heat, until they are pink and opaque and the rice has absorbed all the stock.
8. Turn off the heat and leave to stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, drizzle with the lemon juice, add the parsley and fluff up gently with a fork to separate the grains. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve straight away.