Crawfish Risotto (Lombardy)

Fish

Ingredients

Freshwater crawfish- 1 1/2 pounds

Italian peeled tomatoes- 14 oz can

Olive Oil- 1/2 cup

Onion, finely chopped- 1 small

Carrot, finely chopped- 1

Celery, finely chopped- 1 stalk

Garlic, finely chopped- 1 clove

Parsley, finely chopped- 3-4 sprigs

Salt and pepper

Butter- 6 tbsp

Onion, thinly sliced- 1 small

Dry white wine- 1/2 cup

Rice- 3 cups

Thoroughly wash the crawfish. Rub the tomatoes through a sieve.

Heat the oil, add the chopped vegetables (not the sliced onion), garlic and parsley and saute gently until they turn golden. Add the crawfish, stir well, then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and about 8 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook over a brisk heat for 10 minutes.

Take out the crawfish; strain the liquid and reserve it. Shell the crawfish, put aside the best pieces and pound the rest in a mortar, or puree in a blender. Return the cooking liquid to the pan, add the pureed crawfish and stir well.

In another large, heavy pan, melt half the butter and lightly brown the sliced onion. Add the wine and let it simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the rice, mixing it thoroughly into the onion, then little by little, add the crawfish liquid. After 10 to 15 minutes, when most of the liquid has been absorbed, add the reserved crawfish pieces, cover the pan and continue cooking slowly until the rice is tender- it will take about 25 minutes in all. Add the rest of the butter, stir gently, recover and leave to settle for 2 minutes before serving. It is important not to stir the rice too often or it will become too soggy.

Serves 6.