Zucchini Risotto (Risotto con le Zucchine)
In the late spring and summer when you find piles of young, sweet zucchini (courgettes) at the market, with their huge, bright yellow blossoms still attached, this risotto is a weekly fixture on our table. My absolute favourite of the many different varieties of zucchini you can find are the slightly speckled, pale green, slender heirlooms with gentle ribs along the length of the vegetable. They are tender and cook beautifully. I like to grate them, which I find quick and easy in this dish. I also love the way the grated zucchini pieces blend in with the rice. Alternatively, you can slice them thinly – because of the ribs, the slices will look like little stars.
These lovely pale vegetables are known variously as Zucchini ‘Costata Romanesco’ or Florentine zucchini. If you have your own vegetable garden, these heirloom seeds are easy to buy and grow yourself so you have access to these beautiful zucchini and their flowers.
Ingredients 12
Vegetable Stock
1 brown onion, (yellow onion) roughly chopped
1 carrot, large, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 handful flat-leaf parsley stalks, (italian parsley)
2 fresh bay leaves
3 l water
Risotto
4 zucchini, (courgettes), small, with their flowers
60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 brown onion, (yellow onion), finely chopped
300 g risotto rice, such as carnaroli
125 ml dry white wine
60 g pecorino, grated, plus extra for serving
black pepper, freshly ground, to serve
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Method 7
To make the vegetable stock, chop the , and into rough chunks and place in a stockpot with the , and . Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour. Strain and set aside until needed.
Wash the and pat dry. Remove the flowers and roughly slice them, then set aside. Grate the zucchini and set aside separately.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan over low heat. Add the along with a good pinch of salt and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened but not coloured.
Add the and stir through the until it is glistening and thoroughly coated, about 2 minutes. Pour over the and bring the heat up to medium. Let the wine simmer for about 5 minutes, then ladle over just enough warm stock to cover the rice. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding stock to cover as the liquid reduces.
After about 10 minutes, add the grated (keep the flowers for later). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, and topping up with for another 7 minutes, or until the is al dente.
With the last addition of stock, add the grated cheese (if using) and taste for seasoning (add any salt, if needed). Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of and toss the rice energetically until it becomes creamy but is still ‘soupy’ – this is what the Italians refer to when they say risotto should be ‘al onda’, literally ‘on the wave’.
Remove the risotto from the heat at this point (the rice will continue cooking and will get stiffer as it is plated). Stir through the sliced so they wilt. Serve immediately on flat plates and sprinkle over some freshly ground black pepper and a little extra grated if desired.
Emiko Davies' tips
The vegetable stock recipe here is double what you will need for this recipe, but it’s always useful to have for soups or stews in place of water. If not using it right away, you can freeze it – an ice cube tray filled with stock is handy, so you can pull out exactly the amount you need.
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Notes
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