Ingredients
50g dried porcini mushrooms
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tbsps olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250g pack chestnut mushrooms, sliced and washed
300g risotto rice
1 x 175ml glass white wine
25g butter
handful parsley leaves, chopped
50g Parmesan or Grana Padano, freshly grated

Method

Put the dried mushrooms into a large bowl and pour over one litre boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes, then drain into a bowl, discarding the last few tablespoons of liquid left in the bowl. Crumble the stock cube into the mushroom liquid, then squeeze the mushrooms gently to remove any liquid. Chop the mushrooms.

Heat the oil in a shallow saucepan over a medium flame. Add the onions and garlic, then fry for about five minutes until soft. Stir in the fresh and dried mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for eight minutes.

Tip the rice into the pan and cook for one minute. Pour over the wine and let it bubble to nothing so the alcohol evaporates. Keep the pan over a medium heat and pour in a quarter of the mushroom stock. Simmer the rice, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Add about the same amount of stock again and continue to simmer and stir – it should start to become creamy, plump and tender. By the time the final quarter of stock is added, the rice should be almost cooked.

Continue stirring until the rice is cooked. If the rice is still undercooked, add some water. Take the pan off the heat, add the butter and scatter over half the cheese and the parsley. Cover and leave for a few minutes so that the rice can take up any excess liquid as it cools a bit. Give the risotto a final stir, spoon into bowls and scatter with the remaining cheese and parsley.

Anton Dougall is an Expert on Maltese food.