Taste of Italy: courgette risotto - and two tales of passion

        With the weather report which seems to have lost the trace of sun and is invariably stucked on: rain, rainy, showers, heavy showers and so on, one can only say: thank God for comfort food! We all need it these days!

        The way I see it, the perfect comfort food must be easy: easy to make, easy to eat, easy to digest; it must be tasty and it must be sentimental. Looking from this perspective, Italian food ticks all the boxes for me: easy recipes, rich taste and a lot of passion. Passion for simple ingredients, passion for cooking and passion for eating - this is what Italian food is for me. Italians may be simple people, but they definetly know their food: they respect their produce and always know how to transform them into tasty dishes which are going straight to your heart!

         And speaking about passion, let me introduce you to one more tale of passion: Le Creuset. The story begins a long time ago, back in 1925 - somewhere in the North of France - where two Belgian industrialists (Armand Desaegher and Octave Aubecq)  introduced the signature Le Creuset round cocotte dish. They were so passionate about their business, that even if they had to close during the World War 2, they still found the power to come back and to continue their innovative work, creating a wide range of caseroles, dishes, pans, pots and grillers. Up to our modern days, the cocotte remains the most popular cookware piece, and there's a word that says that every Chef must have at least one Le Creuset dish in his kitchen. Read more about the Le Creuset story here. 

         My first Le Creuset dish is a 26 cm cast iron shallow casserole, and I love it! First recipe tried: courgette risotto - one of my favourite - and let me tell you a little secret: it has never tasted as good as cooked in my new Le Creuset!

Courgette risotto recipe (serves 2)

Ingredients:

- 160 grams Arborio rice

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- one medium onion, finely chopped

- 50 ml white wine

- 500 ml vegetable stock

- 20 grams Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

- 25 grams unsalted butter

- 2 courgettes

- one table spoon of olive oil

- juice from half of a lemon

- salt and black pepper

- 2-3 teaspoons of Parmigiano Reggiano for serving

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil into the casserole on medium heat, add the finely chopped onion and sweat it, stirring ocasionally with a woode spoon until it becomes transparent. Add the rice and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes. Then add the wine and leave it on medium heath for another 2-3 minutes, until all the alcohol evaporates completely.

2. Gradually add the vegetable stock, half a ladle at a time, stirring continually with a wooden spoon until the rice incorporates all the liquid. Add as much stock as it is necessary, and taste the rice from time to time, taking care that the rice remains "al dente". Continue to cook for about 15 minutes. 

3. In the meantime, cut the courgettes into small cubes, add the lemon juice, some salt and pepper and gently fry them into olive oil, in a non-stick pan, for about 5-7 minutes.

4. When the risotto is done, take it off the heat, add the butter and the grated Parmigiano and continue stirring until it becomes creamy. 

5. Add the courgettes and mix toghether with the risotto, then cover the casserole with a lid and leave it to rest for about 2 minutes.

Serve hot, with some freshly ground black pepper and some more grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Notes:

        For an excellent result, always use special risotto rice. My favourite is Carnaroli rice, but you can also try the most popular Arborio or even Vialone Nano.

         The wine: if it's not good enoug to drink it, than it's not good enough to cook with it! Always use good quality dry white wine.

          The stock: use home made vegetable stock or alternatively, you can use cubes. Keep your stock hot on the hob, never add cold stock in the risotto as it will lose its creamy consistency.

         For an authentic Italian experience, use freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and try to avoid the ready-grated parmesan mixtures sold in the supermarkets - you will taste the difference.

Final note:

Although I started this blog more than 6 months ago, I still find it a bit difficult writing in English, so please feel free to let me know if you spot any mistakes, and I will correct them immediatly. Thank you!

Enjoy!