Mushroom, courgette and bacon risotto

Ingredients

1.6L chicken stock
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
150g portobello mushrooms, chopped
150g white mushrooms, chopped
3 courgettes, slices
50g butter
3 shallots, diced
400g arborio rice
120ml white wine
200g bacon, diced
40g mature Cheddar cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• In a saucepan, keep the chicken stock warm over low heat.
• In another saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil and saute the mushrooms until they've browned and lost their water. Set aside.
• Add another drizzle of olive oil and fry courgettes until soft and golden. Set aside.
• Add 1/2 of the butter and fry shallots until soft.
• Add remaining butter, add rice stir to coat. Once rice has taken on a pale golden colour, add white wine, stirring continuously until absorbed.
• Add approximately 200ml of chicken stock to rice, stirring continuously until absorbed. Repeat adding approximately 200ml of chicken stock at a time until the liquid is absorbed. Rice should be soft but al dente.
• While repeating the stock process, fry diced bacon in a separate pan and mix into the rice at the end.
• Add cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and stir in.
• Reheat courgettes and mushrooms, either microwave or in saucepan, and add at the end. Serve with a side salad.