OVEN BAKED RISOTTO WITH SHIITAKE, LEEK AND COURGETTE

 
 

I’ve been experimenting with oven baked risottos this year. An easy way to make a delicious, warming meal, especially if I’m already using the oven for other dishes. Not to mention holding a baby (and sometimes a toddler) is not conducive to standing over a stove for 20 minutes to stir in the love that a risotto needs. Instead this one only requires you to beat it vigorously at the end after being in the oven for 30 mins. Might not be authentic but it works for this family!

The result is a creamy, oozy risotto that we like plain or, when skipping the parmesan, as a side to other dishes. It also teams really well with fresh green herby chutneys or accompanied by sauteed salad leaves like endive. Our glut of marrows and courgettes from the veg-patch have been put to good use in these risottos. I use whole peppercorns in this recipe because I quite like the burst if flavour of a whole peppercorn but it will definitely be too spicy for some so the safest option would be to use ground black pepper. I also love adding a packet of dried shiitake mushrooms which adds an extra umami flavour to compliment the parmesan and stock and, while most people would slice them up, I’ve been throwing them in whole out of speed plus I really like to see the whole mushrooms on my plate. It’s normal to remove the tough stalks before cooking but there is so much flavour in them plus they're easily removed while eating and it helps to slow down the process of eating, helping to aid digestion, as this meal is all too easy to wolf down.

This recipe makes a lot since we tend to eat it all in a day but feel free to half the recipe.

METHOD

  1. 30 minutes before cooking the risotto, add the dried shiitake mushrooms to a saucepan with the 2 litres of broth or water plus stock cubes/bouillon in order to rehydrate the mushrooms. After 30 mins, heat the stock to boiling point and continue with the recipe

  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

  3. Into a heavy bottomed large stainless steel or cast iron pan, heat 3 tablespoons of butter or ghee on the hob and saute the leek until beginning to soften.

  4. Add the garlic, risotto rice and black peppercorns and saute again for a few minutes. 

  5. Add the broth or stock and mushrooms, stir together and then cover with a lid and pop into the oven for 30 minutes until the rice is just cooked/tender.

  6. Remove the pot from the stove and carefully lift the lid - it will be very hot! 

  7. Add the grated courgette, another 3 tablespoon of butter and the grated parmesan and stir vigorously until the risotto becomes creamy.

  8. If the risotto seems too thick or stodgy, add 2 tbsp of boiling water at a time to loosen it up, stirring well after each addition.

  9. Taste for seasoning and adjust. 

  10. Serve immediately with a sprinkle more or parmesan and grind of black pepper. And if you like, a touch of fine lemon zest and a little squeeze of lemon.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8 as a side dish, or 6 as a main

500g Arborio risotto rice
2 litres of bone broth or 3 vegetable stock cubes (I use Kalo Organic) or 3 tbs vegetable bouillon with 8 cups hot water

40g dried shiitake mushrooms, sliced and stalks removed or whole
1 large leek, finely sliced

2 medium courgettes, grated
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbs unsalted butter or ghee
½ tsp of fresh ground black pepper or 1 tsp black peppercorns

60g parmesan cheese, finely grated plus extra to serve
3 tbs extra unsalted butter

East by West tips:

Jasmine Hemsley