- 50g/2oz butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 250g/9oz Arborio rice
- 150ml/5fl oz white wine
- 1 litre/1¾ pint chicken or vegetable stock
- 150g/5½oz courgette, diced
- 3 tbsp mascarpone
- 40g/1½oz parmesan (or a similar vegetarian hard cheese), freshly grated
- flavourless oil (such as vegetable oil), for deep frying
- 225g/8oz ricotta
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 8 courgette flowers
- 1 tbsp fresh yeast
- pinch salt
- pinch sugar
- 175ml/6fl oz tonic water
- 200g/7oz plain flour
- 25ml/1fl oz vodka
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 10g/¼oz basil
- 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
- For the courgette risotto, melt 25g/1oz of the butter in a large pan until foaming. Fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the Arborio rice and stir well to coat in the butter.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the rice grains start to turn translucent, then add the wine and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until nearly all of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add a ladleful of the chicken stock to the pan and stir well. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until nearly all of the stock has been absorbed, then add another ladleful of the stock. Repeat the process until the rice is cooked but still al dente (retaining bite).
- Add the courgette during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking and then stir in the mascarpone, 25g/1oz of the parmesan and the remaining butter. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- For the deep-fried courgette flowers, heat a deep-sided frying pan filled two-thirds full with the oil until hot but not smoking, or heat a deep-fat fryer to 190C/375F (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
- Mix the ricotta with the lemon zest and juice, then spoon the mixture into the courgette flowers and twist the end to seal.
- In a bowl, mix together the yeast, salt, sugar, tonic water, flour, vodka and vinegar. Set aside until the batter starts to bubble, then dip in the flowers to coat and deep-fry in the hot oil for two minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
- For the basil oil, blend the basil and oil in a blender until smooth, then pass through a sieve.
- To serve, place the risotto in serving bowls and top with the courgette flowers. Drizzle the basil oil around the risotto and top with the remaining parmesan.