Jono & Jules do food & wine

We can’t get enough of St Tola, a delicious goats’ cheese from County Clare. Here it is with some courgettes and mint in a summery risotto.

Wine Suggestion: Something suitably summery and white, like Domaine Ventenac’s “Marie”. Made from Vermentino and Colombard this tastes of lemons with a hint of grapefruit plus white flowers, touches of green apples and an under-current of salty texture. Zippy and round with a fun and easy finish.

Courgette Risotto with St Tola & Mint, serves 4

• 1.5 litres vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• a large bunch of scallions, very finely sliced
• 350g Carnaroli rice
• a glass of dry white wine, Russel Norman suggests Sauvignon Blanc but we used a Vermentino-Colombard blend
• 2 medium courgettes, cut into quarters lengthways, then sliced into 3cm lengths
• 150g St Tola goats’ cheese
• a large handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
• a large knob of butter
• the zest of ½ a lemon

Heat the stock and leave it simmering gently.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over a gentle heat. Gently sauté the scallions with a good pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, until they are soft and shiny but not browned. Mix in the rice and make sure all the grains are coated in the oil. Turn the heat up a bit a pour in the wine.

Start adding a ladeful of stock at a time and gently stirring until absorbed before adding the next one. Keep going like this for 8 minutes.

Add the courgettes and stir to combine, then keep adding the stock for another 6 minutes. Crumble half the goat’s cheese and mix it in along with the mint. Stir well and cook for another 4 minutes or until the rice is al dente. Season to taste.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter and remaining crumbled goat’s cheese. Fold these gently into the risotto, then cover and rest for a minute. Serve in warm bowls with some black pepper and lemon zest.

(Original recipe from Venice by Russell Norman, Fig Tree, 2018.)