Foraged wild mushroom risotto with roasted courgette & truffle oil.

Whats left in the cupboard?  I find it often lends itself to some of the most creative dishes with a good twist on taste.  And today the mix of the below ingredients delivered a surprisingly good culinary nutty delight.  

This Risotto made a perfect dish after a hearty walk up above the snow line to see an old sheiling settlement in Glen Lochay called Allt Dhuin Croisg. Highly recommended walk.

Recipe Serves: 4

You will need 4 courgettes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Truffle oil 
2-3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
A squeeze of lemon juice
Small glug of white wine vinegar
550-600ml vegetable/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/ gas mark 6.

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. 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 small glut of white wine vinegar 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 to 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 and drizzle a little olive oil mixed with a few drops of truffle oil over each dish and serve with crusty bread.