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Main Courses, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tomato and yellow courgette risotto

by Lindsey Harrad   ·  4 years ago  
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Using yellow courgettes instead of green makes a very colourful risotto, but don’t worry if you can’t find them – green work just as well.

The challenge of making a vegan risotto is that you don’t have the luxury of adding butter and Parmesan to emulsify it, so you have to cook the courgettes long enough to allow them to break down and become creamy.

DETAILS

  • Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
  • 4 yellow or green courgettes
  • 5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
  • 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
  • 150g Datterini (baby plum) tomatoes, halved
  • 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 350g Carnaroli risotto rice
  • 100ml dry white wine
  • 300g tomato passata
  • 1.5 litres hot vegetable stock (see box)
  • 10 basil leaves
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/300°F/Gas Mark 2.
  2. Slice the courgettes into 1cm (½in) rounds, then place 3 rounds on top of each other and cut to create 1cm (½in) matchsticks. Repeat for all.
  3. Heat a saucepan on a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the courgettes and garlic and season with salt. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and let the moisture in the pan evaporate, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until the courgettes start to caramelize. Remove from the heat and put to one side.
  4. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Line a roasting tin with baking parchment and tip in the tomatoes. Bake for 15 minutes, until soft, then remove from the oven and leave to one side.
  5. Heat a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil and the celery and onion. Cook for 3 minutes then add the rice and cook for a further 3 minutes so the rice absorbs the oil and goes translucent.
  6. Add the wine and cook until absorbed, then add the passata. Gradually start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the rice still has bite but is not crunchy. The risotto should be very wet at this stage, almost soupy. Add half the cooked
  7. courgettes and cook for a further 6 minutes, then add the remaining courgettes, along with the roasted tomatoes and basil. Check the seasoning, then place a tight-fitting lid on the pan and turn off the heat. Leave for 2 minutes, then remove the lid and give the risotto a good stir. Serve topped with black pepper and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Vegetable stock

Makes about 2 litres
  • 2 carrots, peeled and quartered
  • 1 leek, halved
  • 2 celery sticks, halved
  • a few parsley sprigs
  • a few thyme sprigs (not lemon thyme)
  • a couple of dried porcini mushrooms or handful of fresh button mushrooms
  • ½ tsp sea salt
Place all the ingredients in a large pan with 3 litres (105fl oz) of water. Set over a high heat and bring to the boil. Allow to boil until the liquid has reduced by half (about 30 minutes). Drain into a clean container, allow to cool, then cover and store in fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer indefinitely.

Adapted from The Italian Deli Cookbook by Theo Randall (Quadrille, £26). Photography by Lizzie Mayson.