The Dolce Vita Diaries

We’re now at the height of the porcini/cepe season, so grab your field-books and go find yourself a funghi. For the less wild at heart, go foraging at the grocer’s for the most interesting looking mushrooms you can find, and top them up with dried porcini if necessary.

Ingredients for 4

Mixed wild mushrooms – 200g/7oz

Garlic – 2 cloves

Shallots – 6

Butter – 100g/4oz

Salt and pepper

Rosemary – 1 sprig

Risotto rice – 350g/12oz

Dry white wine – 125ml/4½ fl oz

Vegetable stock – 1 litre/1¾ pints

Parsley – handful

Parmesan cheese – 85g/3oz

Olive oil with basil – drizzle

Wipe clean and slice the mushrooms. Finely chop the garlic and shallots and fry them in half the butter until they start to colour. Add the mushrooms, a grind of pepper and the finely chopped rosemary. After another minute, add the rice to the frying pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the wine, and stir it in until its all absorbed. Follow this with a ladleful of hot stock at a time, until you’ve used all the stock. Then add a good pinch of salt, the chopped parsley, the remaining butter and the grated parmesan. Serve up, adding a drizzle of basil olive oil over the top of each portion.