Kitchen Garden Courgette Risotto by Amy Claridge
I couldn¹t imagine not having Arborio rice tucked away in my cupboard, it has saved me on many an evening when there’s really not much to eat! Suddenly - seemingly out of nowhere - you have created a filling substantial meal full of flavour. A risotto is also ideal for using up bits and bobs in your fridge that you are wondering what to do with. (Try chicken & preserved lemon, duck & blackcurrant jelly, courgette & tomato etc. Even frozen peas that need using are happy in a risotto!) I’ve always found risottos just a bit too creamy and rich so I like to make them less heavy. It’s popular to add wine - generally I don’t (I’d rather drink it!) but you can add a glass instead of the first ladle but use white or rose. And forget the continuous stirring, just stir frequently and don’t let it stick or get dry. If it starts sticking or looking too brisk while simmering, drop the heat a little more. If you run out of stock just add freshly boiled water. Always add hot liquid to keep the temperature going unless you are adding wine, in which case add at room temperature and make it the first fluid that goes in. Leftover risotto is lovely. Put it covered in the fridge when cool, and eat the next day after a quick ping in the microwave or back in the pan with a little extra water, just a little.
Method
First sort out your stock. For this recipe we are using lamb stock. Use your leftover lamb bones or ask at the Phipps counter for some lamb bones - they are free! You need to roast them first; this is something best done the day before when you are cooking something else. Roast until thoroughly brown. Then place in a large lidded pan, cover with water, and bring to the boil then leave to simmer on a very low heat for a couple of hours. Drain through a sieve discarding the bones, leave to cool and skim off any fat. This will keep in the fridge for a couple of days so you could use it the next day for a soup.
Heat the stock until warm through in a neighbouring saucepan. In a frying or saute pan (or paella!) put your oil over a moderate heat and then add your onion and garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon until soft. Add the rice, and stir thoroughly until coated (just a few seconds) and then add a ladle (or teacup) of stock. (You don’t rinse Arborio rice.) Drop the heat down to low. Stir. When mostly absorbed, add another ladle. Repeat until the rice is al dente (retains some firmness when you bite into it). Half way through this process, add the courgette, and the jelly. Shortly before the rice is ready, add the herbs. Season; serve.
Ingredients
275g Arborio Rice
1 litre of lamb stock
A good glug of olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
One large or two medium sized courgettes, grated
2 tbsp fruit jelly - redcurrant ideally but blackcurrant works as well.
Small handful of chopped sage leaves
Optional: if you would prefer this dish to be a little meatier, then why not add some Phipps lamb? Quickly stir fry some strips until nearly how you like your lamb and add towards the end.
JELLY: You can easily purchase redcurrant jelly from the farm shop, but you could also make some. Rinse fruit then place in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to the boil then simmer until all fruit very soft. Take off the heat and allow to cool. Next you need to drain off the juice. You could use a jelly strainer or, like me, you could balance a colander on a roasting rack over a bowl! Line the colander with kitchen paper. Leave dripping overnight. Do not press through. For each pint of juice you need a pound of
sugar. Boil until it wrinkles on a saucer. Store in sterilised jars.
Serves 2-4. (Kitchen Garden cooking 19 July 2008.)
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