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I know we are in the season of fasts for many Jews but here is a simple (yet a bit time consuming) recipe that tastes great! We have been getting quite a bit of zucchini in our CSA box. I even made a healthier version of this (the one without the pineapple) zucchini bread using this recipe. If you’d like the modified version please post in the comments section and I will get back to you.

Now, I do like zucchini but when it is cooked and mushy it grosses me out a little bit (I have some food texture issues which involve a real dislike of baked/mushy fruits and vegetables). So, in this recipe I added the veggies at almost the very end of cooking. If you’d like them cooked a bit more you can add them earlier.

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As I mentioned in a previous post, risotto has been a long-time family meal and holds a special place in my heart. One of the reasons I love risotto is that it is so versatile. I know many people are intimidated by risotto but this is totally unfounded. The trick to good risotto is making sure there is always enough liquid in the pan. You never want the risotto to be so dry that it sticks to the bottom of the pan. So really the trick might just be attentiveness.

Like my previous risotto post, this recipe isn’t Kosher the way I made it. However, it is very easy to make it Kosher. You can use vegetable broth or some sort of chicken-flavored bouillon for the depth of flavor that chicken broth gives you. I would not eliminate the dairy in this recipe. You just can’t have good risotto without Parmesan cheese. I hope you enjoy this summer risotto!

2 Tbsp good quality olive oil

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 cups arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

About 6 cups homemade chicken stock (or your pareve substitute)

Corn from 1-2 fresh cobs (depending on the veggie to rice ratio you’d like)

1 large or two medium zucchinis cubed

3/4 cup parmesan cheese plus more for table

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Sautee garlic in olive oil in large sautee pan until soft but not brown. Add arborio rice and saute for a minute, stirring so rice doesn’t stick to pan. Add white wine and stir to combine. Now comes the fun/attentive/repetitive part…

When the rice has absorbed all of the wine add 1/2 cup chicken stock (or substitute). Stir to combine. When the rice has absorbed that liquid, add another 1/2 cup. Repeat until rice is cooked al dente. This could take a while!

When rice is just about cooked add corn and zucchini. Stir to combine. Cook a few minutes to heat the veggies. Add Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Don’t fret if you have left overs – day old (or two day old) risotto is great! I recommend adding a bit of water when reheating.

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