Risotto

• 1 litre chicken stock
• 60g unsalted butter (2 oz)
• 1 small onion/shallot, finely chopped
• 300g risotto rice (10.5 oz)
• 50g / 2 oz grated parmesan

Heat the stock in a pan, with a ladle ready.

Melt 30g/1 oz butter, and cook the onion to transparent (5 mins), over a low heat so that it doesn’t burn. Add the rice, and cook for a couple of minutes until it changes colour/transparency. Add a ladle full of stock, and turn the heat up to medium. Stir constantly so that it doesn’t stick, very carefully so that the rice grains don’t break up. Add more stock as it is absorbed. Repeat until the rice is barely al dente (it will soften slightly as it is being served). Traditionally this takes 18 minutes exactly. Season.

Stir in the remaining butter and most of the parmesan. Serve, with the remaining parmesan dusted over the top.

Options:

Add mushrooms to the initial stage, and cook them dry (mushrooms are very wet). Substitute part of the stock for some dried mushrooms that have been soaked for 20 minutes in hot water.

Add 100g or so of fresh cooked prawns/shrimp, and a large handful of peas (frozen works). Small cubes of courgettes fried in the initial stage would work, too.

Arancini. Leave risotto to cold, then shape into fist sized balls (slightly smaller than a tennis ball, much larger than a golf ball). Push a small cube (1 inch/1 oz) of good mozzarella into the centre, and roll in a beaten egg and then breadcrumbs. Deep fry (a pan with 1 - 2" oil will work) for about 5 mins; they fry best if chilled for an hour first.