Summer Courgette and Broad Bean Risotto

Ingredients:

• 150-200g of shelled broad beans
• 300g of Courgettes (or three medium courgettes), sliced
• 1 red onion (or 2-3 shallots), diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large handful of finely chopped herbs of your choosing (parsley, thyme, dill or a mixture of these)
• 1/2 a cup of dry white wine
• 250-300g of Risotto rice (such as Arborio rice)
• zest of 1 small lemon
• 1 tbsp of olive oil or butter for frying
• 1-2 litres of vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• (Optional) grated parmesan to serve
• (Optional) butter to serve

Method:

1. Shell and blanch your broad beans until they are fork-tender and ready to eat. Set aside to cool. If the broad beans are fresh, you shouldn't need to double-shell, but you can do so if they are older and tougher.
2. Add your onions and courgettes to a large heavy-bottomed pan. Fry on medium/high heat until the onions are golden and courgettes have gained some colour, around 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for an additional 2 minutes
3. Add your risotto rice and toast in the pan with the onions for 2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook off some of the alcohol until the pan starts to look dry. Turn the heat to medium.
4. Make up 1-2 litres of vegetable stock in a large bowl, whilst following your vegetable stock's packet instructions.
5. Add the stock to the pan one ladle at a time. Stir the risotto to avoid it sticking to the pan until the stock has absorbed. Keep adding stock, one ladle at a time, stirring all the while. It takes around 30-40 minutes until the rice is cooked through. If you run out of stock, make up some more, or substitute with water if the risotto is getting too salty.
6. About half-way through cooking, add your herbs, soy sauce and lemon zest. The later you add the herbs and lemon to your cooking, the more prominent a flavour they will have in your meal. I prefer adding the lemon zest 5 minutes before the risotto is complete.
7. Add your beans and warm through
8. Salt and pepper to taste
9. Serve hot, with freshly grated parmesan and a dollop of salted butter.

Notes:

• Risotto rice is a short-grained rice. Adding stock slowly and stirring in allows the starches from the rice to dissolve into the risotto, leaving a silky, creamy consistency without the need to add cream. Replacing the risotto rice with other types of rice will yield a very different result
• You can add half a pot of heavy cream or creme fraiche for an extra-decadent meal
• Replace the parmesan with nutritional yeast, and this dish makes a great vegan meal
• You can add any herbs you want to this dish. Parsley, thyme and dill are all great options. Rosemary and sage are as well, but might require a little extra cooking, so add them in to your pot earlier