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    Risotto with zucchini and stuffed blossoms

    4 people

    Francesca D’Orazio

    A good risotto is always delicious, in every season. This recipe, with courgettes, becomes an excellent complete dish by adding courgette flowers stuffed simply with ricotta. Serve it with a nice salad to complete for a great Sunday lunch.

    Ingredients

    • For the rise:
    • 300 g of Italian rice as Carnaroli, Arborio, Vialone Nano
    • 1 small leek
    • 350 g fresh zucchini
    • 4 dried tomatoes
    • 30 g of shelled and peeled pistachios
    • 90 g of Grana Padano Riserva
    • 70 ml of white wine
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • 60 g of butter
    • 2 tablespoons of basil chiffonade
    • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
    • extra virgin olive oil
    • salt

    • For zucchini blossom:
    • 8 zucchini blossom, pistils removed
    • 200 g of ricotta cheese
    • 2 Tbsp of grated Grana Padano dop
    • 1 egg yolk
    • salt
    • 30 g of butter

    Preparation

     

    STEP 1

    Stuffed zucchini blossoms:
    Mix ricotta cheese with the Grana Padano cheese, the yolk, a pinch of salt.
    Fill the flowers with the mixture obtained. It would be helpful using a pastry bag.Heat 1/2 glass of water (or broth used for risotto) in a pan, add butter. When hot, add the stuffed blossoms, cover with the lid and cook for about 4 minutes, making sure that the flowers are moisten. If not, pour some of the broth around the edges of the pan while still cooking.

     

    STEP 2

    For the rice:
    Clean the leek (keeping the bottom white part aside) and the courgettes.
    With the scrapes of vegetables and dried tomatoes, prepare a light vegetable broth: put them all together in a pot and cover with 2 L of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Salt (slightly) halfway through cooking.

    STEP 3

    Prepare the zucchini sauce: slice thinly the zucchini and cook them in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt to season. Once cooked, blend them with 60 ml of broth, pistachios, 30 g of Grana Padano, basil (about 20 leaves), and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Keep warm.

     

    STEP 4

    Prepare aromatic butter: put in a small bowl, whisk it with the basil and lemon zest, transfer on a cling foil and roll it like a salami, wrap it and keep it in the freezer.
    In a saucepan, cook the leek over low heat with 1 tablespoon of oil (alternatively cook it in the microwave: put in a glass jar with the oil, cover with microwave cling film, and cook for 1 and 1/2 minutes at 750W).
    In a casserole put the rice together with 1 tablespoon of oil, add toast it, add cooked leek, salt lightly. When the rice is warm enough to the touch, pour the wine and let evaporate the alcoholic part. Cook risotto, adding hot broth, a ladle at a time, and stirring occasionally.

    STEP 5

    When almost cooked, add the zucchini sauce, cook for the last 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir, adding the aromatic butter, cut into pieces, and the grated Grana Padano cheese.
    Leave to rest for a minute and transfer to the serving dish, complete with the stuffed blossoms