“Once you get the technique down-pat, it’s a really great dish to cook at home,” says Neil Perry, the founder of Rosetta in Melbourne and Sydney, of this zucchini risotto.
He emphasises the importance of scorching the rice properly, then incorporating the stock slowly, with patience, so the rice “neither drowns, nor gets too dry.”
“The perfect risotto wants to be started, cooked through and served right away. Many, many restaurants actually have to pre-cook the risotto and then reheat it to keep up with service. At home, you can cook one of the best risottos in the world if you do it right.”
This dish is at its best when zucchini is in season, in spring and summer, but it works year-round. In autumn, replace the zucchini with a medley of your favourite mushrooms – say, shiitake, oyster and swiss brown.
Zucchini Risotto, by Rosetta
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Ingredients
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive