Ingredients

• 6 cups hot chicken broth or Vegetable Broth
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 cups mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped (or a mixture of wild and fresh, or 1 1/2 cups cultivated mushrooms, plus 1 oz. dried porcini soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, drained and chopped)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 1/3 cups risotto rice
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Put the broth in a saucepan and keep at a gently simmer. Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, golden, and translucent but not browned. Stir in the mushrooms and herbs, then cook over medium heat for 3 minutes to heat through. Pour in the wine and boil hard until it has reduced and almost disappeared. This will remove the taste of raw alcohol. Stir in the rice and saute with the onion and mushrooms until dry and slightly opaque.

Begin add the broth, a large ladle at a time, stirring until each ladle has been almost absorbed by the rise. The risotto should be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don’t let the rice dry out add more broth as necessary. Continue until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains still firm. (This should take about 15-20 minutes depending upon the type of rice used-check the package instructions.) Taste and season well with salt and pepper. Stir in the Parmesan, cover, let rest for a couple of minutes, then serve immediately with extra grated Parmesan.

Makes 6 servings