CREAMY COURGETTE RISOTTO

Creamy courgette risotto image

This melt-in-the-mouth vegetarian dish served with pine nuts and fried courgettes is everything a traditional Italian risotto should be

Provided by Sarah Cook

Time 55m

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

50g butter, plus 2 knobs more
1 small onion, finely chopped
250g courgette, 140g coarsely grated, the rest diced
175g risotto rice
zest and juice 1 lemon
1.2l vegetable (or chicken) stock, kept hot on a low heat
25g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
2 heaped tbsp mascarpone
splash of olive oil
1 heaped tbsp toasted pine nuts

Steps:

Melt the butter in a sturdy frying pan, add the onion and gently fry until softened. Stir in the grated courgettes and rice, increase the heat and sizzle while stirring for 1-2 mins.
Add the lemon juice and a ladle of hot stock, and bubble over a medium-high heat while stirring constantly. When the liquid has just about been absorbed, add another ladleful of stock. Keep cooking like this for 20-25 mins until the rice is just tender and is creamy. Stir in the Parmesan, mascarpone and some seasoning, cover with a lid or baking sheet, and set aside for 5 mins while you cook the remaining courgettes.
Heat the remaining butter and a splash of oil in a small frying pan. Add the diced courgettes, and fry over a high heat for 2-3 mins until golden and just softened. Divide the risotto between shallow bowls or plates, then scatter with the diced courgettes and any buttery juices, the pine nuts and a few pinches of lemon zest.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 496 calories, Fat 23 grams fat, SaturatedFat 12 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 50 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 4 grams sugar, Fiber 4 grams fiber, Protein 22 grams protein, Sodium 1.4 milligram of sodium