Black Rice Timbale with Garlic Shrimp (Prawns)

Name: Black Rice Timbale with Garlic Shrimp (Prawns)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients: 300 g black rice (Venere type); 750 ml hot vegetable or fish stock; 1 shallot (or 1/2 red onion), very finely chopped; 2 tbsp olive oil, for the rice; 400 g shrimp (prawns), peeled and cleaned; 3 garlic cloves, in fine slices; 125 ml dry white wine; 1 tbsp cold butter, to emulsify; 200 ml pouring cream; Zest and juice of 1 lime; Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; Fresh chives, chopped, to garnish

⏱ 50 min in total🔪 10 min prep🍳 40 min cooking🍽 4 portiesMedium

Black Venere rice, shaped into a timbale, with shrimp (prawns) in garlic and a lime sauce.

The shrimp are seared first and then taken out. They need a minute a side; if they stayed in the pan while the sauce is built, they would end up rubbery. They go back in only 30 seconds before serving.

The cold butter goes in at the end, off the heat. It emulsifies into the sauce and leaves it glossy and bound; poured into boiling liquid it simply separates into fat.

Venere rice is a wholegrain and takes 35 to 40 minutes, considerably longer than a white one.

Ingredients

Measurements

🍽 4 servings

300 g black rice (Venere type)
750 ml hot vegetable or fish stock
1 shallot (or 1/2 red onion), very finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil, for the rice
400 g shrimp (prawns), peeled and cleaned
3 garlic cloves, in fine slices
125 ml dry white wine
1 tbsp cold butter, to emulsify
200 ml pouring cream
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh chives, chopped, to garnish

Method

1
In a pot, heat the two tablespoons of olive oil and soften the chopped shallot until translucent. Add the black rice and toast it for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2
Pour the hot stock over the rice, season and, once it boils, turn the heat to its lowest. Cook it covered for about 35 to 40 minutes (being a wholegrain it takes longer). The grain should be tender but firm, with bite. Drain off any excess liquid and keep it warm.
3
Searing the shrimp: in a very hot pan with a splash of olive oil, sear the shrimp for 1 minute a side. Take them out and set them aside so they do not overcook.
4
In the same pan, turn the heat down to medium, add a little more oil if needed and fry the slices of garlic, taking care they do not burn. Pour in the dry white wine and scrape the base of the pan to recover the juices. Let the alcohol evaporate for 2 minutes.
5
The citrus emulsion: turn the heat to its lowest, add the cream and the zest and juice of the lime. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let it reduce for a couple of minutes until it has the consistency of a light sauce and, just before turning it off, add the tablespoon of cold butter, swirling the pan so it emulsifies and turns glossy. Return the shrimp to the sauce for 30 seconds.
6
Plating: using a plating ring, set a compact base of black rice in the centre of the plate. Lift the ring away carefully, arrange the garlic shrimp on top and spoon the lime cream generously all around. Decorate with the chopped fresh chives.