Courgette & Broad Bean Rice-otto

T

his one is thanks to Nigel Slater’s Diaries which, naturally, I’ve tweaked a bit. The perk of Nigel’s Diaries is the ease at which you can flick to the date of the month (or closest!) that you’re enjoying and take inspiration from what he was cooking, in season and usually with some store cupboard staples. 

Into my final month of pregnancy and I was craving something fresh in the warm summer but equally something hearty which can be a hard balance. This ticks all those boxes. It’s a ‘not too clingy’ summer hug in a bowl. Eat from a bowl, with just a fork, on the patio, under the sunshine with a glass of crisp white wine (if you can…!). I used crumbled goats cheese here but feel free to just use parmesan or any cheese of choice.

NOTE: Given I had some time to kill whilst waiting for Baby X to arrive, I was quite happy to de-pod these broad beans. It’s a therapeutic process. If you don’t want to de-pod them, feel free to substiitute broad beans for frozen peas! If you leave the skins on, they can be a bit tough, plus you don’t get that green vibrancy!

Serves 4

  • 300g courgette
  • 250g frozen broad beans (or peas as above)
  • 1 litre vegetable/chicken stock
  • 1 onion / 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 60g butter
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • Sprig of thyme
  • 250g brown rice
  • Small glass white wine
  • 100g goats cheese
  • 200g breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 lemon, zest.
  1. Grate the courgettes into a colander using a large box grater or food processor with the shredding attachment. Season generously with salt and leave for at least 20 minutes so the juices can be drawn out.
  2. Simmer the broad beans in boiling water for about 5 minutes then drain cool under cold water until cool enough to handle. You do not have to de-pod them but its recommended as the skin can be tough! It does take some patience and time if you have it. Pinch the skin and push the fresh green bean out into a clean bowl. Continue with all broad beans and set them aside.
  3. Heat the stock in a saucepan and keep warm on a low heat.
  4. In a large heavy based casserole dish or high sided frying pan, melt 40g of the butter with a splash of oil. Add the chopped onion and stir over a low heat until soft and translucent. Add the crushed garlic and thyme leaves and generous seasoning. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
  5. Add the rice and stir together to coat the grains in butter for 1-2 minutes.
  6. Add the glass of wine and allow the alcohol to simmer away.
  7. Now, add about 1/4 of the hot stock and simmer gently. The rice will take total 40 minutes approx to soften. Keep adding stock until the rice is tender. Don’t let the rice dry out though. You may use all the stock and a little extra hot water if its not cooked by the time you’ve used all the stock.
  8. Once the rice is just cooked, turn off the heat and turn your attention to the courgettes. The salt will have drawn the moisture out now. Using your hands, squeeze the watery juices out into the sink and put the drained courgette into a bowl with the broad beans.
  9. Stir both the shredded courgette and broad beans into the rice. Add the remaining 20g of butter and season to taste. Keep warm with a lid on.
  10. In a dry frying pan, add a splash of olive oil until hot. Add the breadcrumbs and season. Cook until the breadcrumbs are golden and crunchy and then set aside. Add the lemon zest.
  11. Give the rice one final good stir to mix everything together until creamy.
  12. Serve, crumbling over the goats cheese and with a scatter of crunch breadcrumbs. Enjoy!