WITH the colder months starting to close in and the incidence of colds, flu and assorted sniffles on the increase, I decided that in this months Cooking Corner we would look at a couple of nurturing ‘comfort food’ style seafood recipes: firstly, Congee and secondly, Chocolate Prawns.

CONGEE
Say the name of this recipe quickly and it sounds like your talking about a bait popular with beach fishermen. In reality, Congee is best described as chicken soup (the ultimate comfort food) meets spicy seafood risotto. Absolutely delicious, hearty and satisfying, Congee will definitely satisfy the inner person.

Ingredients
50gms short grain rice
500mls chicken stock
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
100gms boneless fish fillets, thinly sliced
6 green prawns, peeled and deveined
6 scallops
3 thin slices fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 shallots, finely chopped
fresh coriander leaves
crushed dried chillies

PREPARATION
In a large saucepan, combine the rice with the chicken stock and half a tablespoon of Thai fish sauce. Bring to the boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about an hour until the rice is a soft pulp.
Add the thinly-sliced fish, green prawns and scallops to the rice and continue to cook for a further three minutes before adding the ginger, garlic, remaining fish sauce and half of the chopped shallots. Cook for a further three minutes.
To serve, spoon the Congee into soup bowls making sure that everyone gets some of the fish, prawns and scallops. Sprinkle the top (to your taste) with some of the crushed dry chillies, chopped shallots and coriander leaves.

PRAWNS IN CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Combine the ultimate comfort food, chocolate, with fresh prawns and you have a sure winner. The chocolate used in this recipe is a dark, bitter cooking chocolate mostly used in Mexican or Spanish cooking and found in good specialty food shops.

Ingredients
500gms green prawns
4 tablespoons seasoned flour
4 tablespoons dry sherry
juice of two oranges
60gms unsweetened dark chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons Bertolli olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 small red chillies, seeded and finely chopped

PREPARATION
Peel and devein the prawns, leaving the tail section intact. Coat the prawns with the seasoned flour and set to one side.
Gently heat the sherry and orange juice in a small saucepan. When the liquid is warm, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted.
Heat the olive oil in a frypan and fry the garlic and chillies over a moderate heat for a couple of minutes. Add the prawns to the frypan and cook, turning occasionally until the prawns are just pink.
Pour the chocolate sauce over the top of the prawns and tumble around to coat them with the glossy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot.
The seafood used in these recipes was supplied by Sams Seafood Hamilton, Ph (07) 3268 7088.