Time: 20 minutes preparation + 30 minutes cooking

• 3 large cobs of corn kernels cut from the cob (about 320g)

• 12 basil leaves

• 1.5 litre chicken stock (homemade makes a difference)

• 3 shallots, finely diced

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 80ml olive oil

• 400g carnaroli rice (or arborio rice) • 2 bay leaves

• 150ml white wine

• 150g Parmigiano-reggiano

• 50g butter • salt and pepper

• 80g bottarga (or more)

• (optional: 250g raw crab meat, cooked in brown butter and spooned over the risotto before adding the bottarga) • extra virgin olive oil • lemon juice, optional

1. Puree the corn kernels in a blender until you have a milky puree and set aside. If you don’t have a blender, you can grate the corn on a box grater.

2. Blanch the basil leaves for five seconds in salted boiling water and refresh in iced water to maintain flavour, freshness and colour. Chop a little and set aside. 3. Heat the stock in a saucepan.

4. In another saucepan, cook the shallots and garlic in the olive oil over a medium heat for five minutes. Don’t let them colour.

5. Add the rice and the bay leaves. Toast the rice until it is hot to touch, turn to a high heat and add the wine. Cook off for a minute.

6. Turn down the heat. Add the heated stock gradually in three batches and cook the rice for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

7. When the rice is almost done, add the corn puree and then add the chopped basil.

8. Cook out the rice. The corn will thicken quickly over the next five minutes. 9. Check that the rice is done with a little firmness to the tooth in the grain. 10. Reduce the heat to very low and whip in the Parmigiano-reggiano and butter. Season.

11. Allow to sit for two minutes.

12. Serve on plates with bottarga finely grated over the risotto. (Add the crab beforehand, if using.) Drizzle with a peppery extra virgin olive oil. A little squeeze of lemon juice over each plate wouldn’t go astray if you wanted.