Chicken, Fennel, and White Wine Risotto

There is something about making and eating risotto that feels rather luxurious and indulgent. Once you have chopped a few ingredients, you can stand with a glass of something in one hand, chatting to friends, or flicking through a fancy magazine. Once it gets going all you really have to do is add stock and stir; it couldn't be simpler. And, for what turns out to be such a gorgeous dinner, it can be extremely good value for money.

Here I use boned and skinned chicken leg pieces from the butchers, which are much cheaper than the breast meat, and stay much moister I think. However buying chicken thighs and then skinning and boning them yourself would be cheaper still if you have the time.

Fennel has become one of my most recent loves. I hadn't eaten it before a couple of years ago. It has a slight aniseed flavour which shouldn't put you off (I still hate liquorice and sambucca). When it is cooked, particularly in this recipe, the flavour becomes mellow, fresh and slightly lemony. Fennel seeds are something that can be used a lot in other dishes so it is worth having as a kitchen basic.

Ingredients Serve 2
2- 3 CHICKEN THIGHS: skinned and boned, chopped into bitesize, but not too small, pieces
1 SMALL FENNEL BULB: sliced with feathery green tops kept aside for garnishing
2 SHALLOTS: finely chopped
1 GARLIC CLOVE: finely chopped/crushed
1 TEASPOON FENNEL SEEDS: crushed in a pestle and mortar to release the flavour
1 LARGE GLASS OF DRY WHITE WINE
OLIVE OIL/SALT/PEPPER
PARMESAN: a great store cupboard ingredient that really lasts, don't be put off by the expense!
1 LADLE FULL OF RISOTTO RICE
500 ML CHICKEN STOCK the real stuff heated, or add chicken stock cube to 500 ml boiling water.

1|  On a high heat, brown off your chicken pieces in a large non-stick pan. It doesn't matter if they are completely cooked through at this stage. Once white, starting to brown, set aside for later.

2| In the same pan gently cook your shallot, garlic and fennel seeds for 1-2 minutes, mixing all together.

3| Turn up the heat and add your fennel, mix together and cook for another couple of minutes before adding half the glass of wine. Let the wine cook down.

4| Add your rice, stir together, and add the remainder of the wine, continuing to stir on this high heat for a couple of minutes.

5| Turn the heat down a fraction and add one or two ladles of your heated stock. At this stage we are going to slowly add all of the stock until absorbed by the rice. With the heat too high, the rice will cook too quickly on the outside. Too low, and you'll be there all night long. So don't rush it but just keep everything at a nice simmer. Stir and add more stock after the previous ladle seems to be absorbed. This process should take about 40 minutes but will vary.

6| When it starts to appear more like it should, take a taste. When you have a lovely oozy consistency but the rice still has a slight bite to it, add your chicken pieces and continue to cook for another couple of minutes. If you have run out of stock by this point, you can always add more boiling water.

7| Once you think the rice has cooked, turn down the heat, grate a generous helping of parmesan over the top, and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Parmesan can be quite salty so taste, before adding the salt.)

8| Serve into bowls, with feathery garnish on top, some crunchy bread and a glass of your remaining wine... If you haven't drunk it all whilst cooking that is.

Other ideas/variations:

Chorizo:
Buying from a butcher or deli, you can buy inch thick slices of this gorgeous Spanish sausage and have chopped into bitesize pieces. Add in at same time as garlic and shallot. Flavour and colour your stock with a few strands of saffron. Add a handful of frozen peas at the end for more colour and use delicious Spanish cheese Manchego instead of Parmesan. Basically a very stripped back Paella, but still delicious and indulgent.

Fillet of Beef and Mushroom:
If you're really looking to impress and show off, a mushroom risotto served with fillet of beef is heavenly. Use a spoon of dried porcini mushrooms at the garlic/shallot stage, before adding chopped chestnut mushrooms, or wild mushrooms if you are feeling more adventurous. For this recipe, I would definitely pinch a glass of my mother's Vermouth, Noilly Prat, for a more intense flavour. Lashings of parmesan and a knob of butter at the end are essential. I would serve the finest fillet steaks on the side, cooked pink; slicing and cooking in the risotto just isn't going to work.