Raymond Blanc’s mussel and saffron Risotto Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the mussels: 1kg fresh mussels; 1 onion; 2 bay leaves; 2 thyme sprigs; 1tbsp unsalted butter; 100ml dry white wine;

For the risotto: 1 garlic clove; 1tbsp unsalted butter; 200g carnaroli rice; 2 bay leaves; couple of pinches of saffron powder; pinch of cayenne pepper; 2 pinches of sea salt flakes; 100ml dry white wine; 300ml water or fish stock

To finish: 50g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese; 2 tsp unsalted butter; handful of coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley; ½ lemon

Method:

1. Discard any damaged or open mussels. Wash in a bowl and under cold running water. Discard them. Remove any barnacles but don’t scrub the shells as this can end up colouring the cooking juices. Drain.

2. Finely chop the onion and peeled garlic and grate the cheese. In a large saucepan over a medium heat, sweat half the onion, the bay leaves and thyme in butter for one minute. Increase the heat to high, add the mussels, pour in the wine, cover with a lid and cook for three minutes.

3. Drain in a sieve over a large bowl and discard any mussels that have not opened. Reserve the cooking juices, you will need about 200ml to make the risotto. Once the mussels have cooled, pick the mussels from their shells, leaving a few in their shells for decoration. Set aside.

4. Melt the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the remaining onion, cover with a lid and cook for two minutes. Add the garlic and stir in the rice. Add the bay leaves, saffron and cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir and continue to cook on a medium heat for two minutes.

5. Pour in the wine and let it boil for 30 seconds and stir. Pour in the mussel cooking liquor and the water or fish stock and stir again. Now cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

6. At full speed, stir the risotto. Add the cheese, butter and parsley, all the cooked mussels and a strong squeeze of lemon. Season and serve.