Risotto

This is my go-to comfort food. If I could eat nothing else for the rest of my life I would be very happy. I even enjoy the hands-on cooking process that is necessary with this, as the constant stirring can be very theraputic after a long day at work staring at a computer screen.

I like the simplicity of having very little by way of other flavours in this, but you can add mushrooms and so on if you desire.

The recipe is adapted from Nigel Slater's Appetite which I credit for getting me interested in cooking and serves two.

Ingredients

200g arborio rice
75g butter
2 garlic cloves
1 white onion, finely chopped
100ml white wine
700-850ml chicken stock
75g grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Start by melting 50g of the butter in a large pan. When melted, add the chopped onion and the crushed garlic and cook until the onions are translucent.

Add the arborio rice to the pan and stir at a medium heat for about a minute or so.

Add in the white wine and allow to bubble, stiring constantly, for two minutes.

Now you need to add in the stock a little at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the stock in between each addition. You need to stir constantly as you don't want the rice to burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. The whole process will take about 45 minutes. The grains of rice will plump up and will be tender when you taste them. You don't want the mixture to be too soupy or too dry, it should be just verging on being spoon-food when it's done so be careful for the last couple of additions.

When the rice is cooked, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 25g butter and the parmesan.

Add salt and ground black pepper to taste and serve (ideally with Pesto Chicken)