Saffron, orange and mascarpone risotto

I rarely make or eat risotto, a plate of pasta being much easier to produce. The constant stirring demands more attention than I’m usually willing to allow. When I do make or eat it, I want it to be perfect – creamy, rich and unctuous. This dish is a brilliant sunshine yellow, and has all the flavour and golden glory of the very best risottos.

SERVES 4

1.5L chicken stock 110g butter 2 small onions, finely diced 400g risotto rice

Scant ½tsp saffron powder, or a good pinch of saffron strands dissolved in hot water

150ml vermouth or white

wine

1 heaped tbsp mascarpone 80g Parmesan, grated

Zest and juice of 1 small

sweet orange

1tsp sea salt

1

Pour the chicken stock into a deep saucepan and place over a medium heat. Melt 70g butter in another deep saucepan and fry the diced onions gently, until soft and translucent. Add the rice and saffron to the onions and stir for a minute or so. Add the vermouth or wine and cook until it has been absorbed into the rice, stirring all the time.

This dish is a sort of Mediterranean medley, with echoes of North Africa, Italy, and Southern France. It feels a fitting reflection of Sardinia’s many culinary influences and makes the perfect vegetarian main course. While mayonnaise is common in Sardinian cooking, aioli seems to have made its way around other parts of the Mediterranean, but not yet here. As the name derives from Catalan for garlic and oil, and there is plenty of Catalan heritage here, it feels right to include.

SERVES 4-6

6-8 whole artichokes

Juice of 2 lemons

5tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced

3 large fennel bulbs, topped, tailed and cut into eighths lengthways

1tsp fennel seeds

2 dried red chillies

10 sage leaves

500g tomatoes, chopped

(or tinned)

120ml white wine