Save Room for Cake is a recurring feature celebrating chef birthdays through—what else—their delicious food!
Last week, our favorite foul-mouthed chef, restaurateur and TV personality turned 46! To celebrate, I decided to try my hand at a Baked Courgette and Wild Mushroom Risotto recipe from his 2010 publication “Ramsay’s Best Menus.” Excited by the prospect of making my first-ever batch of risotto, I browsed some how-to’s and prayed to the risotto gods for a successful (and delicious) first try.
Luckily, I found the process to be quite painless, even fun! I had heard a lot about risotto being very sensitive and time intensive, but I really enjoyed my time tending to the risotto. To start, I did all prep work necessary for the zucchini, mushrooms, garlic and lemon. Once the zucchini were safely in the oven—they look quite pretty once they’re scored and sprinkled with seasonings and basil—I set my sights on getting my stove prepped and stock simmering for this little risotto shindig.
Following the directions carefully, I added some room temperature white wine and began slowly adding the stock. This took some time and plenty of stirring, but the repetitive motion and gentle mixing was almost therapeutic. After setting the rice aside, I tossed the mushrooms into my already bubbling olive oil filled pan. The mushrooms smell amazing during this quick fry, so you may have to fight the urge to stick your hand in and grab a few to snack on.
As I completed the final steps in the recipe, I was delighted to see that my risotto smelled delicious and looked just right. My dinner guests agreed, and wasted no time in making this hearty meal disappear. I served the meal with lemon and olive oil on the side, but I think there was enough flavor that no one needed to bother with the extras.
I’m delighted to have given homemade risotto a try, and sense that it may become one of my new staples. It made for a crowd pleasing, filling and inexpensive meal—how could I not love it?
Thanks Chef Ramsay, this one’s a keeper!
Baked Courgette & Wild Mushroom Risotto
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
- 4 courgettes
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- A few basil sprigs, leaves only
- 2–3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- 550–600ml vegetable or chicken stock
- 200g risotto rice (Carnaroli or Arborio)
- 100ml dry white wine
- 200g wild mushrooms, cleaned and halved or sliced if large
- 2–3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
Method
1.Heat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F/ gas mark 6 and line a large baking tray with foil.
2. Halve the courgettes lengthways and score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern. Arrange the cut side up on the tray. Season lightly and scatter over the garlic slices and basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Bake for 30–40 minutes until the courgettes are soft. Let them cool slightly, then roughly chop the flesh.
3. For the risotto, bring the stock to a simmer in a pan. Heat another medium saucepan and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring, for a minute. Pour in the wine and let it bubble to reduce down until the pan is quite dry. Gradually add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently. Let the rice absorb most of the stock in the pan before adding another ladleful.
4. When the rice is al dente, stir in the chopped courgettes and turn off the heat. Leave the risotto stand for a few minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat a wide frying pan and add one to two tablespoons of olive oil. Tip in the mushrooms, season and toss over a high heat for three to four minutes until they are golden brown and any moisture released has been cooked off. Add the mushrooms to the risotto, along with a little more boiling stock if you prefer a wet risotto. Stir in most of the Parmesan and adjust the seasoning.
6. Divide the risotto among warm plates and sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan.
Head shot courtesy of Gordon Ramsay Fan Page; Food photo credited to Con Poulos of redonline.co.uk; cooking shots credited to Chelsea Sproul.
