Adapted from Honey and Co: Food from the Middle East
This is a recipe of favourites. This cookbook is
possibly one of my favourite cookbooks, from
one of my favourite restaurants, and Instagram feeds.
And as you know, risotto
is one of my favourite things to eat, lemon is my favourite flavour, and
courgettes are fast becoming one of my favourite vegetables. So it is an
all-round win.
The preamble to this recipe is also probably one
of the best in all of my cookbooks. It makes it hard to write this blog to be
honest, because I don’t have a really charming story about vegetarian BDSM, or
at least, not one that I want to share as publicly.
It’s a simple recipe – usually I am so guilty of
over-complicating, and taking things too far. But with this recipe I have held
back - I haven’t added anything to it, other than tinkering with the
quantities. I considered adding garlic, or preserved lemon, or toasted almonds,
but it is so good just like this. And also otherwise all of my food would
probably taste the same.
This recipe seems complicated but it is actually
really easy. I always appreciate recipes that you can just leave in the oven to
do their thing, and that can be left hot for a while without getting ruined.
I’ve made this quite a few times now. It is vegan and gluten-free without being
obviously or annoyingly so, and uncomplicated enough that it will supplement
any other dishes being served.
Serves 5 - 6 as a main meal, or a generous 8 if
serving with other dishes too
Ingredients
5 – 6 even-sized courgettes, as straight as
possible (depending on how big they are, and how big your tray is – see below)
2tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, or two large echalion shallots,
finely diced
1 tsp (level) each of cinnamon, allspice and
turmeric
½ tsp cayenne pepper
225g risotto rice
70g currants
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
750ml water
6-10 cherry tomatoes, halved (you could also use
a few roughly chopped big tomatoes, but it won’t look as fancy)
1 small bunch of parsley, pick out the large
stalks and chop medium-fine
Salt
Method
You will need a roasting tray with high sides
for this one. Slice the courgettes in half lengthways and use a teaspoon to
scoop the seeds out, creating a hollow. This is a very satisfying activity.
Line them all up in the roasting tray (how many courgette boats will fit in the
tray may also affect how many you make).
Pre-heat your oven to 200c, or 180c if you have
a fan oven.
Heat the oil in a very large frying pan, turn
the heat down low and add the shallots. Fry for a few minutes and then add the
spices. Fry gently for a few minutes and then add the rice and stir to coat and
toast slightly. Add the currants, lemon and water, season with a teaspoon of
salt, and turn the heat up. Let the rice boil for about a minute, and then
empty the frying pan into a colander sitting over a large bowl – keeping the
rice and all the liquid. Mix the cherry tomatoes and parsley into the rice.
Use a spoon to distribute the rice evenly
between all of the courgette boats, and then carefully pour the liquid into the
tray around the courgettes. The liquid should come roughly halfway up the
sides, so add a little more if you think it needs it, but be aware that the
courgettes will also release a lot of liquid. Place a sheet of greaseproof
paper on top of the courgettes, and then seal completely with foil (the
greaseproof paper helps them to steam). Bake in the oven for about an hour –
you can check them halfway through the cooking to see if they need a baste, but
its also fine to just leave them to do their thing. And that's it!
