Rice with mushrooms and cabbage to us laymen - cavolo nero is fast becoming a winter staple. It needs a fair bit of cooking so it is ideal in a risotto (with the above mentioned chanterelles).

Ingredients - serves 4

350g arborio rice 2 onions, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed & finely chopped 25g butter olive oil 1 tbsp fennel seeds 40g dried chanterelles soaked in hot water for 30 minutes 300g cavolo nero, coarsely chopped 350ml red wine 1ltr Marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon salt, pepper balsamic vinegar to taste freshly grated Parmesan

Method

Cook the cavolo nero in boiling salted water for about 7 minutes until tender, drain and reserve. Melt the butter in a sauté pan wih some olive oil and add the chopped onions and garlic, cook over a low heat until softened and translucent. Add the risotto rice together with fennel seeds and stir until coated and season with salt and pepper.

Turn up the heat to medium and pour in the wine, cook until it has been absorbed by the rice then add half of the stock, stir, lower the heat and cook again until the liquid has almost all been absorbed. Now add the cavolo nero, soaked mushrooms and soaking liquid, stir them in then add more stock and continue to simmer. Feed the rice like this until it is suitably tender (a case of personal preference really, I like my risotto unctuous and sticky, others like it to have ‘bite'; likewise you may want your risotto to stand on the plate or you may prefer it to be soupy - the way to eat risotto is as you like it). When you feel that the rice is almost cooked to your liking, add plenty of Parmesan and fold in to the rice. Add more stock if you need to and taste - add a splash of balsamic vinegar and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve.