Lemon and Zucchini Risotto

Should I attend recovery meetings for a risotto addiction? I probably should. I am a Northern Italian, your honor. I'm guilty of eating risotto 3 times a week! And if my fiancè would let me, I would probably eat more.

He's one of those lucky men who can always eat and drink whatever he wants and feel great. I DO ENVY HIM. GOD KNOWS HOW MUCH. So, of course, he cannot understand the frustration behind the food windows of my day. He is actually very supportive in my everyday life. He tries to eat things I avoid when I'm not with him so that I don't have to "suffer" while he has something that is not IBS-friendly.

I find that having an encouraging companion is as important as having the right food. So I'm really grateful for having him by my side. But he's not a big fan of risotto, so I tend to cook it when I'm alone.
I found my Holy Grail in this dish, and I'll probably stick to it until I die, in all its glorious variants.

This risotto is SO simple and tasty that I can guarantee satisfaction when you will try it.

I did not have wine open while cooking it. I'm not opening a bottle of wine just to add half a glass for my risotto, I thought, so I decided to use lemon instead. Oh Lord, what a great decision.

The lemon gave such a fresh and zesty flavor, one of those experiences that I often miss when I cook low-FODMAP dishes.

"Keep it interesting" has been my mantra since I started cooking low-FODMAP dishes, and lemon made the perfect trick in this recipe.

Buon appetito!

Makes: 2 servings
Serving size: a plate each
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients for lemon and zucchini risotto:

• 5 oz of zucchini
• 1/4 of a carrot
• 1 clove of garlic
• 6 oz of rice for risotto (arborio or vialone nano)
• 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 spoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2.5 cups of stock/broth
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Directions for lemon and zucchini risotto:

1. Put the stock to boil, if you have organic lemons, you can add some peel to the broth
2. Wash the zucchini and dice them
3. Put the oil in a pan and add the garlic and the grated carrots
4. Brown the garlic, then add the zucchini to the pan
5. Remove the garlic
6. After 5 minutes, add the rice to the zucchini
7. Toast the rice for a couple of minutes
8. Add the lemon juice
9. Add a scoop of stock every couple of minutes, it should take around 15 minutes to cook
10. Taste the risotto halfway through cooking and adjust with salt
11. Add the pepper
12. Once al dente, turn off the heat and add butter and Parmigiano and stir vigorously to make it creamy
13. Serve it on the plate and add a tablespoon of olive oil on top
14. Still, if you have organic lemons, you can add some grated peel on top (just the yellow part!)