Courgette, Goats Cheese & Lemon Risotto

The recipe below comes from Rachel Roddy. There are so many different ways to make a risotto – from what flavours you add, to whether you toast the rice first. Roddy’s recipe uses the all’onda style of cooking, which means on a wave. This term denotes the creamy texture and consistency which comes from a mix of the starchy rice, late addition of fats like butter and cheese, plus the wave technique used to toss the rice.
 
Stage 4 of the recipe makes use of a technique called ‘Mantecatura’ – once the rice is cooked in the stock, you take it off the heat, add cubes of cold butter and grated cheese, and toss in the pan to mix together. The tossing technique helps to create a thicker and creamier texture. Once tossed, the risotto is served immediately. To peform mantecatura without stirring, you’ll need a pan that is relatively light, wide and with high sides. If you don’t have the right pan, you can beat the mixture vigorously instead.

Ingredients:
 
·      4 medium courgettes
·      1.6 litres vegetable broth
·      Olive oil
·      30g unsalted butter
·      2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
·      400g carnaroli rice
·      100g mild goat’s or cream cheese
·      30g parmesan, grated
·      Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
 

Method:

1.    Top and tail the courgettes. Grate two of them on the coarse side of a box grater, and cut the other two into thin slices with a mandoline or sharp knife. Pat the slices with kitchen towel, then rub with olive oil and cook on a griddle pan until tender and marked with lines. Cut the grilled courgettes into thin strips and keep warm.
2.    Put the stock in a pan at the back of the stove and bring to a gentle simmer. In a heavy-based wide saucepan, warm two tablespoons of olive oil and 10g of the butter, then gently fry the shallots until soft. Add the grated courgettes and move them around for a minute, then add the rice and stir so it clatters against the sides of the pan for two minutes – it should be glossy and glassy.
3.    Add a ladle of broth, stir until it’s absorbed, then repeat, adding broth and stirring over a low-medium heat that keeps the risotto barely simmering, for about 17 minutes, until the rice is plump and the consistency is soft and rippling – like a creamy porridge, but not soupy.
4.    Take off the heat, beat in the butter, goat’s cheese or cream cheese and parmesan, then stir or, better still, jolt the pan so the risotto comes up and over in a wave that mixes the ingredients and also loosens starch.
5.    Meanwhile, very quickly reheat the strips of courgette in a pan, then add the lemon zest. Divide the risotto between four plates, bash the sides of the plates so the risotto spreads, and top each serving with a little pile of grilled courgette strips.