Risotto

This is how risotto is made in northern Italy. First you get a Paolo Conte cd, and put it on the hifi. If you haven’t got Paolo Conte, Fabrizio De André will do. Boil up a litre of water in a large saucepan with two bits of stock. This is for two or three people. Then grate two onions, two cloves of garlic and a piece of fennel into a large frying pan (a wok is perfect). You can also fry these in olive oil until soft, if you like. Pour in a cup and a half of short-grain (preferably specialist risotto) rice. When the stock-water is boiling, turn the heat down and leave it to simmer. Pour a ladleful of the liquid into the rice (on a low heat) and stir it in, until it is absorbed. The pour another ladleful, and carry on doing this for about twenty minutes. This is where the music comes in. It is very relaxing.

On Thursday we used prawns, which go in shortly before the rice is ready (keep tasting until it is soft enough to eat). You can put almost anything in - sausage, mushrooms, mussels, whatever you like. Obviously put things which take longer to cook into the rice earlier. You will be able to taste when it is ready. Just before you serve it, put in some grated parmesan (or similar grana). It is a crime to serve fish with cheese in Italy, but none of us are saints, and the caribinieri won’t come calling round here. The dish should be lovely and creamy - much more so than if you just push it in the oven. Serve with a salad, preferably in a separate bowl. Then watch a nice Italian film, or at least a film set in Italy. We chose Roman Holiday, which made us cry, mainly with laughter. AG