|   | 
                 Seafood Risotto 
                     
                     Frank de Carlo  of Peasant 
                     
                     Serves 6 
                     
                    6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
                    3 cloves garlic, crushed 
                    2 shallots, chopped  
                    24 Manila clams 
                    12 ounces calamari or cuttlefish, sliced into 1⁄2-inch 
                    rings 
                    12 small razor clams (New Zealand cockles can be substituted) 
                    24 small mussels 
                    6 langoustines or large prawns (bottom tail casing removed) 
                    1 pint vine-ripened cherry tomatoes 
                    4 cups Arborio rice 
                    2 cups white wine 
                    6 ounces heavy cream  
                    2 pinches dried oregano 
                    18 basil leaves, torn 
                    1⁄2 cup chopped Italian parsley 
                     
                    Heat the olive oil in a 14-inch sauté pan over medium 
                    heat, and cook the garlic and shallots until golden. Add all 
                    the seafood and the tomatoes, and cook until the clams and 
                    mussels just open, about 3 minutes. Remove all the seafood 
                    from the pan, leaving the liquid and tomatoes. Bring to a 
                    boil, then add the rice and white wine, and cook over medium-high 
                    heat, stirring continuously. Add a cup of water as the liquid 
                    is absorbed, adding more to keep the rice at a thick, soupy 
                    consistency. Continue stirring until the rice is al dente, 
                    about 15 minutes. Return the shellfish to the pan, add the 
                    cream and the oregano, and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
                    Stir until hot, about 1 minute. Then add the basil and parsley, 
                    and plate immediately. 
                    
                      
                    
                     
                   
                   
                     
                   
                   
                  |