Fregola Sarda alla vongele (fregola with clams)

For ➋

200 g fregola Sarda

500 g vongele clams

3 cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

15 cl white wine

100 g Parmigiano

2 tbs mascarpone

zest of 1 lemon

handful of parsley, finely chopped

salt & pepper

olive oil

Fry the onion and garlic in a dash of olive oil over medium heat until they start to colour. Add the celery and let it stew a little. Rinse the clams well under cold water and let them drain. Add them to the pan and deglaze with the white wine. Let them cook for 3-4 m with the lid on until the clams open. Remove them with a slotted spoon, so that the cooking liquid remains in the pan. 

In the meantime, cook the fregola as indicated on the packaging (probably 10 m). 

Let the clam juice in the pan simmer for another 2-3 m for extra flavour. 

Add the cooked fregola to the pan with the reduced clam juice. Stir in the mascarpone, salt and pepper, chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano. Add the clams (either shelled or with shells). Finish with some extra pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and some more parsley.

Coniglio affogato alla Ligure (rabbit stew Ligurian style)

For ➍
1 rabbit, 1½ kg, cut into pieces

15 cl extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced 

1 clove of garlic, coarsely chopped 

rosemary sprigs 

sage leaves 

small thyme sprig 

100 g black (taggiasca) olives 

2 glasses of dry white wine* 

8 tbs tomato pulp (polpo di pommodore with pieces) 

salt & pepper 

flour 

50 -100 cl stock*

Wash the rabbit pieces. Pat them dry and roll them in the flour. Beat them off. 

Heat the oil in a casserole. Brown the rabbit. Add the onion, garlic, herbs and olives. Cook the onion on a low heat. Stir in the wine and let it evaporate by half.* Mix in the tomatoes, salt and pepper. 

Stew the rabbit for 1½ h on a medium heat. 

If necessary, add stock to keep it moist. Serve with gnocchi or polenta.

*If wanted, replace some wine with some stock. 

Chicken & pak choi

For ➋
75 g boneless & skinless chicken breast, cut into thin pieces
2 tbs oil
200 g pak choi, sliced into pieces
2.5 cm piece ginger, peeled & sliced into pieces
marinade:
½ tbs soy sauce
½ tbs cornstarch
sauce:
½ tbs oyster sauce
2 tb water
¼ ts sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper
1 ts wine
½ ts sugar

Marinate the chicken with the ingredients in marinade for 10 m. Combine all the ingredients in the sauce in a small bowl, stir to blend well.
Heat ½ tbs oil in a wok until the oil becomes hot. Add the chicken and quickly stir-fry until the surface of the chicken turn opaque or white. Dish out and set aside. This step seals in the juice in the chicken so the texture is tender and velvety smooth.
Heat up the remaining oil in the wok until hot. Add the ginger into the wok and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the chicken back into the wok and do a few quick stirs. Add in the pak choi and stir to combine well. Transfer the sauce into the wok and continue to stir-fry until the pak choi is cooked but remain crisp. Do not overcook.
Dish out & serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Orecchiette con cime di rapa (orecchiette with turnip tops)

For ➋ 

250 g orecchiette,

3 garlic cloves, sliced 

½ red chilli, sliced or 2 tsp red pepper flakes

5 anchovies*

200 g turnip tops (leaves teared from stems, chopped)**, or tenderstem broccoli

pecorino or toasted breadcrumbs (optional) 

alt:

150 g Italian sausage

fresh rosemary

white wine

Begin by making and cooking the orecchiette and cooking it in salted boiling water. If using dried pasta, add the shredded turnip tops and cook together. If not, cook the shredded turnip tops in oil in a pan.

Meanwhile, gently fry the garlic and chilli with the anchovies in a little of their oil until the has softened a little and the anchovies have dissolved.

Drain the pasta (reserve 1 tbs of the cooking water), then add the pasta and broccoli to the anchovy pan and toss a few m to coat the pasta evenly. If needed***, add 1 tbs of the cooking water.

Add some pecorino, or crumbled toasted breadcrumbs if wanted.

*or use meat from an Italian sausage instead. 

:: In a pan, add olive oil and sliced garlic in a cold pan.  Add the red pepper flakes and finely chopped fresh rosemary, then crumble the sausage meat. Turn on the heat and cook for 10 m.  Add the chopped turnip tops until soft and tender. Add a small glass of white wine.

Cook the orecchiette in boiling water for 8 m. Drain and add the orecchiette to the vegetables. Add some pecorino, or crumbled toasted breadcrumbs if wanted. ::

**or use tenderstem broccoli.

***when using fresh pasta

Veal piccata

For ➍

600 g veal steaks

½ cup flour

50 g butter

3 dl olive oil

1.5 dl dry white wine

3 dl chicken stock

2 lemons*

30 g capers

flat leaf parsley

fresh pasta

parmigiano

arugula salad

sun dried tomatoes

white wine vinegar

Ask your butcher to flatten your veal steaks. Or place the pieces between plastic wrap that you have slightly moistened, and then gently flatten the meat with a large flat object such as a pan. .

Season the veal steaks to taste with salt and pepper and then roll them in the flour. Gently knock off the excess flour. 

Heat some butter and olive oil in a pan and fry the veal steaks for about one and a half to two minutes on both sides over a medium heat. Do not bake all the veal steaks at the same time, because then they will not have enough space and you will cook them rather than bake them. Remove the steaks when they are baked, cover them with aluminum foil, add butter and olive oil and fry the rest of the veal steaks.

Once the veal steaks are cooked, add the white wine and gently stir all the browning bits off. Let the wine reduce for a few minutes. Then add the chicken stock. Cut 1 of the lemons into thin slices, them  and let everything reduce by 7-8 m.*

Add 20 g of soft butter, some lemon juice, the finely chopped parsley and the capers and season with salt and pepper. Allow the butter to completely dissolve into the sauce over a low heat. 

Place the veal steaks in the sauce, make sure they are nicely covered, and let them warm up a bit over a low heat.

Serve with fresh pasta, with some olive oil and Parmigiano. Delicious with a rucola salad with some semi-sun-dried tomatoes with pepper, salt, some olive oil and a dash of white wine vinegar. Sprinkle some Parmigiano flakes on the salad.

*or replace lemon slices with lemon zest and add at the end

Ossobuco di agnello (Italian lamb shanks)

For ➋* 

2 (about 800 g total) lamb shanks 

extra-virgin olive oil 

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper** 

1 large sweet onion, sliced 

10 cl red wine 

1 head (10 to 12 whole cloves) garlic, separated & peeled 

1 (700 g) can chopped tomatoes 

10 cl water (or more) chopped parsley for garnish

 

Pat meat dry. Rub lamb shanks with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.** Heat a heavy casserole. When hot, drizzle a thin layer of olive oil to coat the bottom. Sear the lamb shanks until browned and remove from the pot. To the same pot, add 1 ts of olive oil and the sliced sweet onions. Toss to coat with the pan drippings. Reduce heat and cover. Sweat the onions until limp but not browned, stirring often. When they are limp, add the wine and cook for 2 m, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add garlic cloves, tomatoes, and 10 cl of water. Stir to combine, then return the lamb shanks to the pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer, turning lamb shanks occasionally, for 1-1½ h or until tender. Add additional water if the sauce becomes too thick. Serve braised lamb shanks with cooked pasta, rice, mashed potatoes or polenta. Sprinkle with parsley.

*double quantities for ➍ 

** to give it a more authentic Italian flavour, add ½ bunch fresh thyme, ½ bunch fresh rosemary picked clean and chopped; flour to lightly coat the shanks

Risotto agli asparagi al mente e limone (risotto with asparagus, mint & lemon)

For ➑
risotto base:
1 l organic vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, peeled & finely chopped
4-5 sticks celery, trimmed & finely chopped
600 g risotto rice
25 cl vermouth or dry white wine
risotto:
2 bunches asparagus, woody ends removed & discarded*
70 cl organic vegetable or chicken stock
50 g butter
1 small handful Parmigiano cheese, freshly grated, plus a block for grating**
1 bunch fresh mint, leaves picked & finely chopped
zest & juice of 2 lemons
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Slice the asparagus stalks finely sliced to 2.5 cm below the tips. Finely chop your asparagus stalks into tiny discs, keeping the tips whole.
Then start making your basic risotto recipe.
Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Put the olive oil in a separate large pan, add the onion and celery and cook very gently for about 15 m, without colouring, until soft. Add the rice (it will sizzle) and turn up the heat. Don't let the rice or veg catch on the bottom of the pan, so keep it moving.
Quickly pour in the vermouth or wine. You will smell the alcohol immediately, so keep stirring all the time until it has evaporated, leaving the rice with a lovely perfume.
Add the stock to the rice a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next. Continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all be absorbed. This should take about 14 to 15 m and give you rice that is beginning to soften but is still a little al dente. Put aside.
Put a large saucepan on a medium to high heat and pour in half the stock, followed by all your risotto base and the finely sliced asparagus stalks and the tips. Stirring all the time, gently bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until almost all the stock has been absorbed. Add the rest of the stock a ladleful at a time until the rice and asparagus are cooked. You might not need all your stock. Be careful not to overcook the rice. It should hold its shape but be soft, creamy and oozy, and the overall texture should be slightly looser than you think you want it.
Turn off the heat, beat in your butter and cheese, mint, almost all the lemon zest and all the juice. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Put a lid on the pan and leave the risotto to rest for 1 m.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a scattering of lemon zest and a block of Parmigiano on the table.

*Or microwave the asparagus, then gril for a few m. Add some good pepper. Serve with the risotto.
**Make a non-vegetarian variation with sprinkling in a little picked crab or lobster meat or fresh, peeled shrimps or sliced scallops. Reduce your cheese by half.

Tip: cooking asparagus
Tip: a quick and fine risotto

Mushroom miso risotto

For ➍

50 cl hot water 

2 tbs miso paste or liquid miso 

2 tbs olive oil

1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped* 

240 g risotto rice 

10 cl dry white wine 

1 tbs butter 

500 g mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, cremini) cleaned & torn or sliced 

sea salt & shichimi togarashi (Japanese pepper mix)

2 tbs parsley, minced 

Mix the hot water and miso in a saucepan, and keep liquid miso stock simmering over low heat. 

Heat the olive oil in another saucepan. Add the onion and sauté for 5 m, covered, over medium heat. 

Add the risotto rice, stirring until all of the rice is coated in the oil. Add the white wine and boil for 1 m. 

Add the miso stock one ladleful at a time into the risotto and onion mixture, stirring occasionally for about 20 m or until all of the stock is fully absorbed.  Or add the liquid, cover and look after 15 m whether the rice is soft enough.

In a separate sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms until golden brown.** Season with salt and shichimi togarashi or pepper to taste. 

Divide the risotto onto serving plates. Top with the sautéed mushrooms and garnish with parsley.

*Use a mix of white or yellow onions and scallions. Add the scallions just before the stock is added.

**Or heat the pan, dry cook the mushrooms until slightly brown, then add the butter. Cover for 5 m on medium heat. You might add a splash of wine and a taste of balsamico bianco and lots of shichimi togarashi. Check whether the mushrooms are done.

Cod & chorizo

For ➍

1 fennel bulb, halved & thinly sliced, fronds reserved (about 200-250 g)

140 g Spanish chorizo, cut into 1 cm slices 

4 skinless cod fillets (each 120 g) 

salt & freshly ground pepper 

85 g cherry tomatoes, halved, or quartered if large

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tbs unsalted butter 

10 cl dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

1 small orange 

extra-virgin olive oil & toasted sliced baguette, for serving

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Fold 4 30x40 cm pieces of parchment (or aluminum) in half; unfold and place one-quarter of fennel and chorizo along each crease. 

Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper; place one fillet on each package. 

Top with tomatoes, garlic, butter, and wine. 

Remove zest from orange with a vegetable peeler. Thinly slice into strips to yield 1 tbs. Scatter evenly among packages. Squeeze 1 ts juice over each package. 

Fold parchment over to enclose, making small overlapping folds along edges to seal. 

Transfer to 2 rimmed baking sheets. Roast until parchment puffs and fish is cooked through, for 20 m. 

Place each package in a shallow bowl and open carefully, allowing steam to escape. 

Serve with fennel fronds, a drizzle of oil, and toasts.

Salmon fillet with beech mushrooms & green risotto

For ➍ 

150 g white & 150 g brown beech mushrooms (shimeji mushrooms) 

4 pieces  salmon with skin

300 g risotto rice

1 l stock

1 tsp turmeric 

100 g frozen peas 

1 bunch parsley or chervil, finely chopped 

2 tbs ground Parmigiano 

1 shallot 

olive oil 

3 lumps butter 

1 onion, cut 

5 cloves of garlic, sliced 

Fry the onion and 2 cloves of garlic in the oil for a few m. Add the rice and make sure it is well mixed with the oil. Extinguish with a dash of wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Add the stock, pepper and turmeric and simmer under the lid over a low heat for 15 m. Add the frozen peas and let it cook for a further 5 m. Add the finely chopped parsley or chervil along with the cheese and the knob of butter to the rice, heat well and season if necessary. 

Cut the feet of the beech mushrooms because they are tough, but use the stems. Heat the oil and fry the shallot and 3 cloves of garlic. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 m. Add pepper and salt.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat the oil with the butter and fry the salmon skin side down in the pan for a few m. Brown the salmon briefly and firmly on the other side. The salmon can still be pink on the inside, but salmon that has been baked for too long is dry. 

Spoon rice in a deep plate, then dress the salmon and mushrooms. Finish with parsley, chervil and possibly violets.

Winter risotto with turnips & wild mushrooms

For ➍ 

2 scallions, chopped 

2 turnips, peeled & cut into 1 cm cubes 

200 g wild mushrooms, larger ones cut in 2  

2 tbs olive oil 

250 g risotto rice 

10 cl white wine 

70 cl vegetable stock 

Parmigiano, grated

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a cooking pot and stir-fry the scallions and mushrooms for 5 m. Drain on kitchen paper. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in the cooking pot again and fry the turnips for 2-3 m. 

Add 250 g risotto rice to the turnips and stir until the rice becomes translucent. Pour the white wine over and let it evaporate completely, whil sirring. Add the vegetable stock to the rice and stir well. Cook covered for 20 m over a low heat. 

Mix the grated Parmigiano into the risotto. Season with salt and pepper. 

Sprinkle with the mushrooms and spring onions.

Read the tip on making a quick risotto.

Pollo e funghi al aceto balsamico (balsamic & mushroom chicken)

For ➍
2 tbs vegetable oil
125 g butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 200 g each
200 g sliced white button mushrooms
½ large onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
150 g cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 tbs balsamico
20 cl red wine
1 ts salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Flatten the breasts by pounding them.
Combine the vegetable oil and 2 tbs of butter in a large skillet over high heat. Once the butter and oil are bubbling, add the chicken breasts to the skillet. Sear on each side until the chicken is golden, about 2–3 m per side, then transfer them to a large baking dish.
Melt the remaining butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, 15 to 20 m. Add the mushrooms, stir, and raise the heat to high. Allow the mushrooms to cook until most of their liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 m. Add the tomatoes and cook, shaking the pan, for 10 m, or until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the balsamico, wine, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 m.*
Pour the mushroom mixture over the chicken and place the pan in the top half of the oven for 20 to 35 m, or until the chicken has just cooked through.**
Remove from the oven and serve each piece of chicken topped with mushroom mixture. Serve with pasta or small rösti.

*The mushroom mixture can be made the day before.
**Cook on stove-top for 25-30 m, after browning the chicken. Transfer oil/butter to another skillet and keep the chicken cooking on medium fire with a lid on the skillet. Add the extra butter to the second skillet. Add te mushrooms and prepare them for 10 m, with lid on. Add the tomatoes for 5 m. Add the balsamic and wine and cook for 5 m. Add the mixture to the chicken and cook until chicken is cooked. (Probably 30 m in total, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Tearing the chicken into pieces will reduce the cooking time.)

'Aceto balsamico' (balsamico vinegar) is not a wine vinegar: it is made from grape pressings that never fermented into wine. 900 years ago, vintners in the Modena, Italy region were drinking balsamic vinegar as a tonic.
Sweet white Trebbiano grape pressings are boiled down to a dark syrup and then aged under rigid restrictions in oaken kegs, along with a vinegar mother. Over the years it graduates to smaller kegs made of different wood, taking the perfume of the wood and, as moisture evaporates out, the vinegar further thickens.
Balsamico also comes in a white variation. Balsamico will turn sweet when heated, do not use it in aluminum containers.

Spaghetti alle cozze (spaghetti with mussels)

For ➍

2 kg fresh mussels 

3 cloves garlic 

15 g fresh flat parsley 

300 g spaghetti 

3 tbs traditional olive oil

15 cl white wine

425 g canned diced tomatoes

1 ts chilli flakes

Rinse the mussels under cold running water. Remove the mussels that are broken or left open when you tap them. Drain. Cut the garlic into slices. Remove the parsley leaves from the sprigs. Finely chop the leaves and sprigs, but keep them separate from each other. 

Cook the spaghetti al dente according to the instructions on the package. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the garlic 1 m. Add the chopped parsley sprigs and fry 1 m. 

Turn up the heat and add the mussels. Add the white wine and let it steam for a while. Add the polpa and chilli flakes and toss well with a large spoon. Put the lid on the pan and let the mussels stew for 3 m, until all the shells are open. 

Drain the pasta and toss through the mussels. Add half of the chopped parsley leaves. Let it cook for another 2 m on low heat, until the pasta has absorbed the sauce. 

Remove any empty shells. Sprinkle with the rest of the parsley.

Risotto with watercress

For ➍
6 dl water
2 cubes chicken stock
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
40 g butter
250 g arborio rice
600 g cod fillet
2 tbs olive oil
1 bunch watercress
50 g grated Parmigiano
160 g coppa*
1.5 dl dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Cover the oven tray with parchment paper and arrange the crumpled slices of coppa on top. Bake them in the oven for 5 to 10 m until golden brown. Leave the oven on.*
Bring the water to a boil with the chicken stock cubes. Put the lid on the pan and keep warm.
Fry the chopped onion and the crushed garlic clove on a low heat for 5 m. In a saucepan with half the butter. Sprinkle the rice, mix 2 m and pour over white wine. Add a ladle of warm broth as soon as the wine has been absorbed. Add broth little by little as it is absorbed by the rice, until the rice is cooked (20 m in total).
Meanwhile, divide the fish into 4 portions and place in a lightly oiled baking dish. Sprinkle with the rest of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place 10 m in the oven at 180 ° C.
Chop the stalks of the watercress very finely and the leaves a little coarser. Stir everything under the risotto, along with the Parmigiano and the rest of the butter. Remove the pan from the heat, put the lid on it and let it rest for 2 m. Season further.
Serve the fish with the risotto and sprinkle with chopped coppa. Serve immediately.

* Dry the coppa at low temperature, 1h20 h at 100 ° C.

Read the tip on making a quick risotto.

Poulet au fenouil (French fennel chicken)

For ➍
800 g boneless skin-on chicken thighs
1 ts salt
black pepper to taste
2 tbs flour
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red onion, sliced
baby fennel, trimmed & halved lengthwise (reserve any leaves for garnish)
1 bay leaf
25 cl dry white wine (like sauvignon blanc)
2 tbs crème fraîche*

Cut chicken into manageable pieces (10x10 cm).
Sprinkle the salt and pepper onto both sides of the chicken. Then dust evenly with the flour.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin-side down in a single layer (if all the chicken doesn't fit, divide it into two batches to brown). Let the chicken brown undisturbed until a brown crust forms on the bottom, about 4-5 m).
Flip the chicken and brown the other side (another 4-5 m). Transfer the browned chicken to a bowl and repeat with the rest of the chicken if necessary.
Add the garlic to the pot and sauté until fragrant.
Add the onions, fennel and bay leaf to the pot and then add the wine. Return the chicken to the pot. Partially cover with a lid and braise over low heat. Check the chicken after 20 m, if there is still a lot of liquid in the pot, continue cooking for another 10-15 m until the chicken is tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce.
Add the crème fraîche to a small bowl and whisk in some of the hot braising liquid. This step tempers the crème fraîche and prevents it from curdling. Pour this tempered crème fraîche back into the pot and stir to combine.
Serve the chicken with some chopped fennel leaves.

*Replace with yogurt

A zen risotto

For ➍*
225 g butter
1 clove garlic, chopped
225 g fresh shallots, chopped
50 g fresh oregano, chopped
8 bay leaves
450 g shiitake, torn**
1 kg Arborio rice***
50 cl dry white wine
1 l warm chicken stock (not boiling)****
20 cl olive oil
50 g parsley
100 g grated Parmigiano cheese

Melt the butter. Add shallots (with oregano, bay leaves) and stir 5 m until translucent.
Add shiitake and cook for 5 m.
Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine and simmer until most of the wine is absorbed.
Stir in stock in small portions until rice is ready (20 m). It might not be necessary to use all stock***.
Put on serving plates, with a few spots of olive oil, add parsley. Add Parmigiano.

*As a main dish. Half the quantities as an entrée or side-dish.
**When using dried shiitaken let them simmer in boiling water for 40 m. Use the liquid as apart of the stock.
***Or any slow cooking risotto rice. Not suitable for sushi rice if creamy aspect is wanted.
****Use a vegetable stock to make this a veggie dish. Probably you'll need only 70 cl. Save excess fluid to make another dish.

Read the tip on making a quick risotto.

Risotto with mushrooms, shrimps & saffron

For ➍
250 g mushrooms
300 g carnaroli rice
1 onion
1.3 liters vegetable stock
40 cl white wine
2 tbs butter
250 g North Sea shrimps
1 ts saffron threads
lemon juice

Fry the chopped onion in tbs of butter, add the risotto rice and stir carefully.
Add wine and let cook briefly.
Add the vegetable stock and saffron and cook about 17 minutes over medium fire.
Cut the mushrooms. Cook them in 1 tbs of butter and a hefty drop of lemon juice.
When the rice is al dente, add the mushrooms and shrimps.
Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Read tip for a quick risotto.

Grilled mushroom risotto

For ➍
1.5 l organic chicken or vegetable stock, hot
1 handful dried porcini mushrooms*
olive oil
1 small onion, peeled & finely chopped
2 sticks celery**, trimmed & finely chopped
400 g risotto rice
7.5 cl vermouth or white wine***
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 large handfuls wild mushrooms (try shiitake, girolle, chestnut or oyster), cleaned & sliced
a few sprigs fresh chervil, tarragon or parsley, leaves picked & chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 ts butter
1 small handful Parmigiano cheese, freshly grated, plus extra for serving
extra virgin olive oil

Heat the stock in a saucepan and keep it on a low simmer. Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour in just enough hot stock to cover. Leave for a couple of m until they've softened. Fish them out of the stock and chop them, reserving the soaking liquid.
In a large pan, heat a lug of olive oil and add the onion and celery. Slowly fry without colouring them for at least 10 m, then turn the heat up and add the rice. Give it a stir.
Stir in the vermouth or wine. Keep stirring until the liquid has cooked into the rice. Now pour the porcini soaking liquid through a sieve into the pan and add the chopped porcini, a good pinch of salt and your first ladle of hot stock. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and massaging the starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next.
Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. This will take about 30 m. Meanwhile, get a dry griddle pan hot and grill the wild mushrooms until soft. If your pan isn't big enough, do this in batches. Put them into a bowl and add the chopped herbs, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Using your hands, get stuck in and toss everything together.
Take the risotto off the heat and check the seasoning carefully. Stir in the butter and the Parmigiano. You want it to be creamy and oozy in texture, so add a bit more stock if you think it needs it. Put a lid on and leave the risotto to relax for about 3 m.
Take your risotto and add a little more seasoning or Parmigiano if you like. Serve a good dollop of risotto topped with some grilled dressed mushrooms, a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmigiano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

*Omit if you want.
*Use leek instead for a suaver taste.
**Double for softer rice.

The dry grilling of mushrooms is inspired by a Japanese way of cooking.
Read the tip on making a quick risotto.

Coniglio al Vesuvio (Vesuvius rabbit stew)

For ➍
300 g boneless rabbit
37,5 cl red wine
50 g plain flour, seasoned with salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, thickly sliced
4 celery stalks, thickly sliced
2 large carrots, cut into chunks
½ fresh chili pepper, finely chopped
200 g tinned green lentils
400 g Italian tinned plum tomatoes
50 g finely chopped parsley
25 cl water
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Place the rabbit in a bowl, cover with the red wine. Leave to marinate for 12 h.
Remove the rabbit from the marinade and pat dry. Dredge in seasoned flour and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan, add the olive oil and gently fry the onion, celery and carrots. Stir in the chili. Add the rabbit pieces and fry for 10 m, until golden brown. Add the lentils, tomatoes and parsley and season to taste. Add 2 glasses of water and simmer for 2 h until the sauce has reduced and thickened, adding a little more water if necessary.
Serve with the accompanying pea risotto.

Fiskisupa (Nordic fish soup)

For ➍
700 g cod fillet
1 kg mussels
2 celery stalks
3 leek whites
¼ celeriac
2 onions
5 dl water
1 dl white wine
30 g butter
1 bay leaf
some sprigs of chives
pepper & salt
150 g samphire
5 dl chicken broth

Chop the leeks, cut the peeled celeriac into small cubes and chop 1 onion. Fry them 5 m on medium heat in a stew pan with the melted butter.
Add the stock, the water, the bay leaf, pepper and salt.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 m on low heat. Let rest 5 m, remove the bay leaf and mix finely.
Meanwhile, clean the mussels and put them in a small casserole with chopped celery and 1 chopped onion. Put the lid on the pan and cook the mussels on a high heat, until they open (± 5 m). Shake the pot occasionally. Pour the cooking liquid into a decanter, and pour it slowly into the soup.
Put the samphire and wine in a small sauté pan. Put the chopped cod on top of it, put the lid on the pan and heat gently. Remove from the heat as soon as the wine is boiling and leave to rest 5 m. Season with pepper and salt. [Just before serving, add a lick of cream and give another twist to the pepper mill.]*
Arrange the pieces of fish with the samphire and the mussels in deep plates, pour over the hot soup and serve immediately, sprinkled with chopped chives.

*Optional.