Recently, our neighbors Jenny, Matt, and14-year-old son John clambered over the crumbling stone wall that separates our yards. With them they brought an overflowing CSA box from Siena Farm in Sudbury. We had zucchini, eggplant, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots. I supplied a few ears of sweet corn and some green beans, and Fiona picked herbs from her garden. We had an excellent risotto feast in the making.

Risotto is one good way to use a variety of vegetables in one dish. If you want a pronounced corn flavor, start by making a corncob broth. Cut kernels off the cobs, then scrape them clean to catch the milky juice, which also goes into the pot, along with onion, garlic, and herbs. The broth takes about 1 hour to make and is optional, but if you have the time, the flavor boost it gives the rice is remarkable.

Starchy, northern Italian short-grain rice is used to make risotto: Arborio, named for the town in the Po Valley, is found in most stores. As the rice cooks, it releases starch to make a thick, creamy sauce. Risotto is the perfect match for all sorts of flavorings, from slow-cooked meats to fish and shellfish. But the CSA box was full of summer vegetables, and this risotto would be vegetarian.

Try making this risotto in two steps to be sure the texture of both rice and vegetables is perfect. Start the eggplant and carrot first, as they take a little longer to become tender, then follow with the rest. Then make the rice, softening onion and garlic and adding the grains. Let it cook for a few minutes, stirring, as this will “pop’’ the rice and prevent it from absorbing the broth too quickly as it cooks. Heat your broth of choice and add 1 cup to the rice pan. Turn the heat way down and, using a wooden spoon, stir with long, slow strokes until the rice has almost absorbed the first ladle of broth. Now add the next cup, repeating the same process. Repeat one more time using the same technique and you’re half done. The rice will still be quite chewy.

The finishing stage of risotto takes just a few minutes. You should have three pans in front of you: one with the remaining hot broth, one with almost-cooked rice, and one with cooked vegetables. Add the vegetables to the rice, then begin adding the remaining broth, a little at a time, stirring constantly with your wooden spoon until the rice is tender and has a creamy consistency. Finally, add the remaining butter, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and herbs, and gently fold it all together. A finishing sprinkle of salt and pepper and you’re ready to eat.

Several hours later, Jenny, Matt, and John made it back over the wall, having eaten their fill of fresh local vegetables, Italian-style. With CSA boxes still full to the brim as fall moves in, sharing the wealth is a great way for friends and neighbors to get together and make dinner.

Corn risotto with zucchini, eggplant, and herbs

Serves 4 as a main course

Note: If using corncob stock, start at least 1 hour in advance or the day before. The broth keeps refrigerated up to 4 days.

CORNCOB BROTH (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 ears fresh corn

1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence

2 bay leaves

10 cups vegetable broth or water

2 teaspoons salt

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil until medium hot. Add the onion and garlic and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 9 minutes, stirring, until the onions and garlic are tender and begin to turn golden.

2. Shuck the corn and then cut the kernels from the cobs. Reserve the corn kernels for later.

3. With a teaspoon, scrape the cobs, letting the white juice drip into a soup pot. Cut the cobs into 2-inch pieces and add them to the pot.

4. Add the Herbes de Provence, bay leaves, vegetable stock or water, and salt to the pot and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Pass through a fine mesh strainer and reserve. This should yield about 6 cups of corn broth. If needed, add more vegetable stock or water to make 6 cups or reduce stock to equal 6 cups.

RISOTTO

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 tablespoons butter

1 small to medium eggplant, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice

1 small to medium carrot, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice

1 teaspoon salt

3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob, or reserved corn from the corncob broth

1 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch dice

6 green beans, cut into ½ inch pieces

6 cherry tomatoes

6 cups corncob broth or vegetable stock

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1½ cups Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine

2 scallions, cut into thin rounds

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)

Grated rind of 1 lemon

4 basil leaves, chopped

10 tarragon leaves, chopped

10 mint leaves, chopped

1. In a 12-inch saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter until they sizzle. Add the eggplant and carrot and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until almost tender, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the salt, corn kernels, zucchini, green beans, and cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook over medium-high heat for an additional 7-9 minutes or until the vegetables are just barely tender. Reserve.

3. In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil and then lower the heat to a very lower simmer.

4. In a large flameproof casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until medium-hot. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 9 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. The onion and garlic will become lightly golden in color.

5. Add the rice and cook, stirring well, for 2 minutes.

6. Add 1 cup of warm broth and the white wine and stir gently, using long, slow strokes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add another cup of broth and stir again, using long, slow strokes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add 1 more cup of broth and repeat the process until most of the broth has been absorbed. You should have about 3 cups of broth remaining.

7. Add the sautéed vegetables and the scallions to the risotto and gently stir to combine. Add the remaining broth, a little at a time, to the pan and cook, stirring, until the broth is absorbed and the rice is cooked and has a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Turn off the heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, Parmesan cheese, lemon rind, basil, tarragon, and mint. Lightly stir to combine.

9. Spoon the risotto into warm bowls and serve with more grated Parmesan on the side.

Gordon Hamersley can be reached at cookingwithgordonhamersley@gmail.com