Courgette and bacon risotto recipe

Make this tasty courgette and bacon risotto in mid to late summer when courgettes are in season and you can snap them up cheaply. 

Keep the costs down even more by buying cooking bacon. It's the scraps and ends that don't fit into the neat rasher packs, but when it's chopped up in this dish it tastes just as good. This is a great meal if you're cooking for two. It's all in one pot so there's very little to wash up, and you can have it on the table in just over half an hour. Alternatively, if you're cooking for yourself, you can save the leftovers to have as lunch over the following day or two, with a handful of rocket or watercress on the side and a chunk of bread.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 60g (2oz) bacon bits
• 125g (4oz) risotto rice
• 450ml (¾ pint) hot vegetable stock
• 1 large courgette, grated
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Gently heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins to soften. Add the garlic and bacon bits and cook for another 5 mins, until they start to brown.
2. Tip in the rice and cook, stirring, for 2-3 mins. Pour in 150ml (¼ pint) of the stock, stir and simmer for 5 mins. Then add another 150ml (¼ pint) of stock, stir from time to time until the liquid is absorbed.
3. Pour in remaining stock, add the grated courgette, then cook for another few minutes, until the rice is tender and creamy. Remove the pan from heat, add the butter and cheese, and season generously before serving.

Top Tip for making courgette and bacon risotto

Risotto should be cooked only until the rice is al dente - not soft. There should be a little bite to it in the middle still.

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