We’ve a bumper crop of courgettes growing in pots in our back garden this year; the joy of loads of bright flowers followed by loads of yellow and green fruit, plus the challenge to eat them all. We picked a load of small courgettes for this dish and added the flowers too as we have them, but it is just as delicious with more normal sized courgettes found in shops and without the flowers.
Wine Suggestion: we’ve been seeking out old vine blends from the languedoc recently and just love how the best have a balance between fresh minerality, roundness, and a herbal stonefruit character. Like tonight’s juicy joy: Domaine Modat’s “de-ci de-la” Blanc which takes fruit from scattered small plots. We loved the sage and thyme scent and the juicy pear flavours cut through with summer sunshine.
Courgette and Broad Bean Risotto – serves 2
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp butter
- 350g courgettes, cut into small dice
- a pinch of chilli flakes
- a pinch of grated nutmeg
- 2 scallions, finely sliced
- zest of ½ a lemon
- 150g risotto rice
- 75ml dry white wine
- 750g warm vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 80g broad beans, podded and blanched for a minute, then skins removed
- courgettes flowers (optional), remove the stamens and tear the petals into pieces
- 20g Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
Heat the oil and butter in a large, deep frying pan. Add the courgettes, chilli flakes and nutmeg, and season well with salt and black pepper. Cook the courgettes for about 5 minutes or until the courgettes are golden and soft. Add the scallions and lemon zest and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the rice and stir for about 2 minutes to coat the grains in the oil.
Pour in the wine and cook for a couple of minutes, until almost evaporated.
Add the stock, a ladeful at a time, and stir until the liquid is absorbed before adding another. Keep going like this for 20-30 minutes or until all the stock has been absorbed. Taste the rice it should be soft with a little bite in the centre.
Stir in the blanched broad beans and courgette flowers and warm through for a minute or two.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the Parmesan. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes with a lid on, then serve with extra Parmesan over the top.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 