Risotto is a rich and creamy, traditional Italian rice dish. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. Its origins are in Northern Italy, specifically Eastern Piedmont, Western Lombardy, and the Veneto where rice paddies are abundant. It is one of the pillars of Milanese cuisine. A high-starch, low-amylose round medium grain rice is used to make risotto. Such rices have the ability to absorb liquids and to release starch and so they are stickier than the long grain varieties.

Luscious, creamy risotto  is one of my favourite dishes. It takes a little care and attention to get it right, but it’s not that difficult and the time spent is well worthwhile. Ideally you should use Italian arborio rice, but in this version I used a Spanish paella rice. The main thing is to use a good short grain rice; long grain rice just won’t work in risotto. The key to success is the proportion of stock to rice – roughly 3 parts stock to 1 part rice and to add the warm stock a little at a time.

•  400g mushrooms, quartered.
•  1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped.
•  25g butter.
•  4 fat garlic cloves, peeled and chopped.
•  Freshly ground black pepper.
•  2 chicken legs or 4 thighs, de-boned and the meat cut into bite sized chunks.
•  Olive oil for frying.
•  2 tsps fresh thyme leaves.
•  2 mugs short grain rice.
•  A glass of dry white wine.
•  6 mugs warm chicken stock (cubes will do, but you will need to use two)

To serve
 50g fresh parmesan cheese, shaved or coarsely grated (optional).

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic and plenty of pepper and continue to fry for 5-6 minutes until the mushrooms have taken on a little colour. Set aside on a plate.

2. Add a little oil to the pan and fry the chicken pieces over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until they are brown and sticky. Set aside with the mushrooms.

3. Add a little more oil to the pan and heat with the rice for 1-2 minutes until it becomes slightly translucent. Add the wine and continue to heat and stir until it has virtually evaporated. Now it is time to add the stock - one mugful at a time - stirring constantly so that it is gradually absorbed by the rice. After about 10 minutes, add the chicken and mushrooms as well as the thyme leaves. Continue to stir and add the stock for a further 5 - 10 minutes until the mixture becomes soft and creamy, but the rice still has a little crunch. It is now ready to serve.

4. Spoon the risotto onto warmed serving plates and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes