MUSHROOM & CHESTNUT RISOTTO

The creaminess of the mushrooms absorbs very well into the rice but you need to stand and stir this dish — you cannot abandon risotto. I cook it as friends stand around the Aga with me.

Serves 4-6 l 30g (1oz) dried porcini mushrooms l 2tbsp olive oil, plus extra l 250g (9oz) fresh mushrooms (the more interesting the better), sliced l 50g (2oz) butter, plus a knob l 1 onion, finely chopped l 2 garlic cloves, finely grated l 400g (14oz) risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli are best) l 250ml (9fl oz) white wine l 1ltr (1¾pt) warm stock (vegetable or chicken) l Salt and pepper l 100g (3½oz) chestnuts, peeled and roughly chopped l 40g (1½oz) Parmesan, grated l Fresh parsley or basil, to serve

Soak the dried porcini in a bowl of boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid but being mindful that grit can collect at the bottom of the bowl. Roughly chop the porcini and set aside. Add the reserved liquid to the stock.

Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish and, when it is hot, fry the fresh mushrooms until beginning to soften. Set aside. Add half the butter and the onion to the dish. Sweat for 5 minutes, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the rice and stir so each grain is coated in butter and cook for 2 minutes. Pour the wine in — it will hiss and quickly evaporate, releasing a wonderful smell. Then add a ladleful of stock and stir. Continue cooking, adding the stock one ladle at a time — you want the rice to have moisture available so that it can cook and expand, but not be too soupy. Stir gently to ensure that all the rice is evenly cooked.

When the rice is almost cooked, add all the mushrooms, except for a few slices, and season. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan, with a little oil, and fry the chestnuts until lightly browned. When the rice is al dente, turn off the heat and add a knob of butter. Add the chestnuts and stir. I like to stir the Parmesan in, but you could just sprinkle it all over. Put basil or parsley on the top, with the reserved mushrooms.