Courgette risotto

Ingredients

• vegetable or chicken stock 900ml
• butter 30g
• baby courgettes 200g (about 5-6), thickly sliced on the diagonal
• olive oil 2 tbsp
• shallots 1 long or 2 round, finely chopped
• garlic 1 clove, crushed
• risotto rice 150g
• dry white wine a small glass
• mint a handful of leaves, chopped
• lemon ½, zested and juiced
• parmesan (or vegetarian alternative) 30g, finely grated, plus extra to serve

Method

• Step 1

  Keep the stock in a pan on a low simmer.

  Step 2

  Melt half the butter in a deep, wide frying pan. Fry the courgettes with some seasoning on both sides until lightly golden. Scoop out and drain on kitchen paper. Wipe out the pan.

  Step 3

  Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in the same pan, then gently cook the shallots and garlic for 6-8 minutes or until beginning to soften. Stir in the rice and heat through for a minute. Pour in the wine and bubble, stirring until it evaporates. Add the stock a ladleful at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more. Keep adding stock until the rice is tender with a tiny bit of bite left.

  Step 4

  Stir in the courgettes and let them heat through for a minute. Add the mint and stir into the rice with the lemon juice and zest, parmesan, remaining butter and a final ladleful of stock. The risotto should be creamy and oozy rather that stiff, so add extra stock accordingly. Put on a lid and leave to sit for a few minutes, then serve in warm bowls with extra cheese, if you like.

Nutritional data

• kcals 450
• fat 19.9g
• saturates 8.7g
• carbs 43.2g
• sugars 2.3g
• fibre 2.9g
• protein 15.5g
• salt 2.1g