Mistakes happen. I've made this dish tons of times. I mean, I have it committed to memory. And yet I made a mistake. I forgot to put in the diced onions before the rice went into the saucepan. Scandalous, I know. Sure, I was talking on the phone and so I may have been distracted. As the risotto was cooking, I noticed that there were an awful lot of leftover diced onions on my cutting board. Wait, all of my onions are on the cutting board! Shoot.

It's when things like this happen that I remind myself of something Julia Child once said: "The grand thing about cooking is you can eat your mistakes." One of my favorite moments from The French Chef comes from "The Potato Show." Have a look, you can also see Meryl Streep doing her Julia impression.

"You can always pick it. And if you're alone in the kitchen, who is going to see?"

She's absolutely right. Most mistakes are edible. But also, if you're afraid to make mistakes you'll never improve in the kitchen. Failure and success go hand in hand, and you'll never enjoy the latter if you're afraid of the former.

Alright, this is starting to sound like a bad motivational speech. Let's get to the recipe!

Oh yeah, I ended up throwing the onions in because I caught the mistake early. There was enough time for them to cook down and soften in the risotto. And you know what, it still tasted great!

Zucchini Risotto

Risotto can be a little tricky sometimes. It also has a reputation, I'm told, as being something difficult. So I want to say a couple things about it at the outset. 

Liquids: The quantity of liquid suggested is approximate. In practice, you should be prepared to use more or less as the risotto requires. There are simply many different factors that affect how much cooking liquid will be required. If you run out of broth, continue cooking with water. You'll also want to make sure the broth is hot when you add it to the rice, so that it doesn't slow or stop the cooking process. 

Timing: The speed at which risotto cooks varies considerably. The heat you are using, the type of rice, and the amount of liquid you add each time are factors that are hard to control. It's therefore a good idea to start tasting the rice after 20 minutes so you can begin to get an idea how much longer it needs to go. 

The Rice: Imported Italian rice suitable for risotto come in many varieties, including Arborio, Vialone, Nano, and Carnaroli. I prefer Carnaroli, which is a newer variety of rice (dating from 1945). It's a cross between Vialone and a Japanese strain of rice. There is much less of it produced than, for instance, Arborio - so it's more expensive and harder to find. But because of it's unique cooking characteristics I think it's the best of the three. 

First, take your zucchini and wash them, scrubbing off any dirt. Cut off both ends and half it lengthwise. Then, cut them into 1/2-inch thick disks.

Also, dice half an onion.

Meanwhile, heat up a skillet to cook the zucchini. Only a little bit of oil is necessary. Use garlic-infused olive oil if you have it. Add the zucchini and a pinch of salt. Cook for as long as necessary until the zucchini becomes colored a rich gold, turning occasionally.

Get a sturdy, medium-to-large pot going over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of butter and a splash of olive oil. 

Once the butter has melted, do as I did not do, and add the chopped onion. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes translucent. At this point, you'll want to add the rice, stirring quickly until the grains are coated well. 

Continue to cook the rice until the rice turns white in color. 

Now, add the cooked zucchini. 

Now that the rice is done, you can deglaze with some white wine. Just give it a nice health splash. And then perhaps pour yourself some wine. Cook until the wine has evaporated. Note, if you want to avoid using alcohol you can skip this step.

Begin to add broth to the rice. Add by the ladle-full, about 1/2 cup of hot broth each time. Some people say you have to stir constantly here. I've never found that to be the case. You will want to stir frequently  however. 

To me, that's half the fun of risotto. You get to stop whatever else you're doing, relax, and just stir. 

When stirring, be sure that no rice is sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

It won't look like much at the very beginning, to be sure. Continue to add broth by the 1/2 cup whenever the broth level in the pot falls low, such that there is rice that is not being cooked in broth.

Start tasting the rice after 20 or so minutes. You'll want it to be tender but firm to the bite. It should also start to take on a creamy look, as the starches continue to break down. Begin adding less broth or water as you get closer to the end. When it's fully cooked, you want it slightly moist - not runny. 

When the rice is done, or nearly done, add the grated Parmesan cheese and the remaining butter. This is gilding the lily. I've found that you can just add Parmesan at the table and avoid adding more butter and Parmesan in the saucepan - and it's fine. Also, add the chopped parsley. 

Transfer to a platter so that it doesn't dry out in the pan. Risotto doesn't need to be served piping hot, nor should it be. Allow it to cool a little before digging in. 

Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

Risotto goes well with nearly anything. Here, I served it with a Coho salmon filet that had been briefly marinated in a soy sauce based marinade. I then broiled it quickly in the oven so that it was cooked well on the top but still soft and salmon-y on the inside.

Serve with a lemon wedge, which I forgot to buy. Mistakes happen. 

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

4 medium or 6 small zucchini

1/2 onion, chopped coarse

1 tablespoon, extra virgin olive oil (for the splash at the beginning)

1/2 teaspoon garlic, chopped fine or pressed (or garlic-infused olive oil, for cooking the zucchini)

Salt

Freshly-ground black pepper

at least 5 cups broth, be it vegetable, chicken, or beef

1-2 tablespoons butter (for the beginning, and if you want, gilding the lily at the end)

2 cups Arborio or similar imported Italian risotto rice

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more at the table

Chopped Parsley (1 tablespoon)

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

2 medium or 3 small zucchini

1/3 onion, chopped coarse

1/2 tablespoon, extra virgin olive oil (for the splash at the beginning)

1/2 teaspoon garlic chopped fine 

Salt

Freshly-ground black pepper

at least 3-4 cups broth, be it vegetable, chicken, or beef

1/2 cup Arborio or similar imported Italian risotto rice

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for the table

Chopped Parsley (1 tablespoon) 

This recipe was initially inspired by the venerable Marcella Hazan, who wrote the classic Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Variations have been made based on watching other chefs prepare risotto and personal experience.