Ingredients
Serves 4Extra virgin olive oil
400g fresh clams (also know as vongole or pipis)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Handful of flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
200ml dry white wine or dry vermouth
2.5-3 litres vegetable stock
20g butter
1 small onion, finely diced
200g risotto rice (preferably arborio)
2 handfuls freshly shelled peas
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Small chunk of bottarga for grating
Method
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over a high heat in a lidded pan that is large enough to hold all the clams comfortably. Add the clams, garlic and parsley and stir. After about 30seconds, splash around half the white wine and put the lid on for 1min. The clams should be open. Using tongs, transfer them to a bowl. Discard any clams that do not open.
Remove the clam meat from the shells. Discard the shells and place the clam meat in a bowl. Pour over any cooking liquor from the clams and allow to cool a little.
Pour the stock into a saucepan then reduce to a simmer.
In a clean heavy based pan melt the butter and 1 tbsp oil over a low-medium heat. Gently sweat the onion and celery until soft and translucent but not browned. Add the rice and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until the rice becomes translucent.
Increase the heat to medium and add the remaining wine, stirring. Once the wine has almost completely evaporated, add the liquor from the clams. Wait for it to be almost completely absorbed before adding a ladle of hot stock, stirring the whole time so the rice doesn’t stick to the base of the pan. Continue cooking for 7-12 minutes, adding a ladle of stock at a time, until the rice is almost al dente.
The risotto should have a creamy texture to it now and be quite wet but not split. Taste for seasoning and adjust – be careful adding salt, as the clams, bottarga and liquid from the clams will be salty.
Spoon the risotto onto serving plates and finish with grated bottarga and olive oil. Serve immediately.