This is a great versatile recipe that’s packed with nutrition. I love to eat seasonal food, and courgettes are almost ready for harvesting!

Courgettes are an often forgotten superfood

They have a very low score on the glycemic index. a high water percentage and are low in carbs and sugars. It’s also densely packed with essential nutrients, despite its pale flesh colour. It has good levels of potassium, manganese, and antioxidants.

Garlic, nutritional powerhouse

Garlic, another key ingredient, is one of the most famous superfoods, with huge amounts of research behind it. It’s been linked with a reduction in heart disease, stroke, cancer and infections.

This recipe can be vegetarian if you use vegetable stock. However, if you want to boost the healing benefits, you can use bone broth instead of vegetable stock.

It can also be dairy free – just don’t add any parmesan. The courgettes make the risotto lovely and gooey without the need for cheese.

Gut restoring bone broth

I love cooking with bone broth because of the health benefits. Bone broth promotes proper digestion by supporting the healing and sealing of the gut. It also helps to inhibit infections, such as colds and flus; fights inflammation and pain, such as in the joints, and promotes strong healthy hair, nails and bones.I use it at every opportunity when cooking for my kids and family. To find out how to make it click here https://nickdale-naturopath.co.uk/bone-broth-health-benefits/

Ingredients – serves 4 people

Risotto:

• 250 ml of arborio rice
• 600-700 ml of chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
• 4 x good sized courgettes
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of pesto sauce

Peso sauce:

• 100-150 grams of basil
• 3-4 cloves of peeled garlic
• 6-10 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan (optional)
• A pinch of salt (Himalayan salt is a healthy choice)

Preparing the courgettes:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Slice the courgettes in half long ways. Slice thinly the cloves of garlic and lay out over the flesh of the cut courgettes. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Then bake for 30-40 minutes.

When they’ve started to brown, remove and allow to cool. Then scoop out the flesh and garlic and mash with a fork and leave to one side in a bowl.

Making the Basil Pesto Sauce:

Place all the ingredients, except the parmesan, into a blender (or use a blending stick) and turn on until you have a paste. Add olive oil until you have the consistency of a slightly runny paste, or to your choice.

Making the rice:

Heat a pan with olive oil, stir in the rice and cook for one minute.

Add stock one ladle at a time, allow it to reduce down and for the rice to absorb most of the stock before adding the next ladle. Stir frequently throughout the process and keep adding stock until the rice is just about cooked.

Next, add the courgette and garlic mixture and stir through.

Finally add a couple of tablespoons to taste of pesto sauce.

As an additional option, you can also add grilled mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, or other vegetables in season, as well as a couple of tablespoons of parmesan.

Enjoy!