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le creuset shallow casserole, recipe, risotto

Spring Vegetable Millet Risotto with Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

David Kahn |

Out with the Classic, in with the Signature...

Have you heard? Le Creuset French Ovens have had a bit of a makeover. Gone is their previous range of Classic ovens with their new Signature range. I was so excited to receive this Marseille Blue 30cm shallow oven, as my large French oven has been used over and over again and I’ve been wanting to try one of these smaller ones for years. They just look like the perfect size for doing many versatile dishes.

So, what’s new with Le Creuset?

Well on first glance, I can tell the shallow ovens are wider than they were before. This is to give greater surface area on the bottom, allowing for browning meat and reducing liquids easier. This makes dishes like risottos perfect for the shallow casserole. The enamel coating on the inside has been improved to be harder wearing and also easier to clean. We found the enamel a dream to clean, even with my risotto stuck to the bottom. Using a good cleaning pad, like this Euro Scrubby helped. Cosmetically, a large, more durable, stainless steel knob has been added to the top to replace the phenolic resin knobs. The handles have also been made larger, making it easier to carry with oven gloves on, a small design improvement that makes a huge difference - especially when taking it out of a hot oven! The lid has a tighter fitting seal to keep in heat and flavour. Wow, all that is quite a makeover. Nice one, Le Creuset!

Spring Vegetable Millet Risotto with Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

A lighter take on a risotto using millet, baby peas and zucchini. The zucchini flowers are so delicious stuffed with goat’s cheese and lightly pan-fried– not masked in heavy batter means their delicate flavour still comes through. Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 30 mins Ingredients:
  • 8-16 zucchini blossoms, with the baby zucchinis attached
  • 1 Tbsp goat’s cheese for each blossom
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup frozen baby peas
  • 2 cups uncooked millet
  • 4 cups chicken or veg stock
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 large white onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup grated parmesan
Instructions:
  1. Bring out the peas from the freezer to thaw a little while the risotto cooks.
  2. Trim the baby zucchinis from the flowers and cut the zucchinis into thirds, length-wise. They are very tender so fine to keep the stems attached. Set aside.
  3. Carefully open the flowers and stuff the goat cheese inside. Close the leaves around it as best as you can.
  4. In a shallow casserole, add some olive oil and heat. Dip the flowers in the egg, then fry for a couple of minutes on each side until lightly browned and cheese melted. Drain on a kitchen towel, add a sprinkle of salt and set aside.
  6. In the same casserole, add some more oil and sweat the onion until translucent. Then add the garlic and fry one minute more until fragrant.
  7. Add the millet to the pan, followed by the white wine. Stir until absorbed, then add the stock, about a cupful at a time, stirring all the time to stop sticking. Keep stirring and adding more stock until the millet is soft – about 20 minutes. Add some more stock to give it some more liquid as it needs – you want a porridge like consistency, not dry. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
  8. Add in the baby zucchini slices and stir until hot through. Add the peas and stir.
  9. Add some parmesan, stir, and then place the blossoms on top, around the dish. Cover with the lid to let the blossoms heat up for a couple of minutes. Then drizzle with olive oil and serve with more Parmesan on the side.
About the Author: Becky Gilhespie is a food writer and former Masterchef semi-finalist. She is currently working part time as a chef, having chosen to do on the job training instead of enrolling at culinary school. Becky is a recipe writer and product tester for many household name brands via Everten and her own food blog, www.eatwhatweeat.com which focuses on family friendly meals with the wow factor that are healthy, fast and simple to prepare. Becky is originally from the US but lived in London for 15 years and now resides in Sydney with her husband and two little boys. Her food is inspired a lot by her travels (and desire to travel more).