Avoidance – vegie wednesday

Shall I tell you a secret?

The kids haven’t caught on to the fact that they’re not eating meat much anymore.  And there’s something else they don’t know.

Golden (zucchini) risotto.

You will need:

• 4 zucchini.  Peel 3 and dice finely, leave the skin on the remaining one and cut into larger dice
• 2 cloves of garlic sliced finely
• 1.5 cups basmati rice
• 3 cups water
• 1tsp salt
• 2 tsp stock powder (chicken or vegetable)
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup cream (we always use the low fat stuff)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• small knob of butter.
• Toasted pine nuts (about a handful)

Warm the olive oil and butter and tip in the zucchini and garlic.  Cook until soft and slightly catching on the bottom.  Stir often.  Should take about 10 mins.

In the meantime slightly undercook your rice – rice, water, stock powder, salt.  I put all these in the microwave rice cooker for 10 mins.

Tip the undercooked rice and whatever liquid has not been absorbed into the zucchini and stir well.  Add the wine and keep stirring until the rice is cooked.  You  may need to add a bit more (boiling) water now and then as the rice absorbs the liquid and zucchini.  Taste as you go to see if the rice is soft,  but this stage should only take a few minutes.

Add the parmesan and cream, stir well.  Dish into bowls and top with a sprinkling of pine nuts and some more parmesan.

My kids think they are being clever by tossing out the large obvious bits of zucchini without knowing what’s slipping by the keeper.  Avoidance Ha!  Love it.