Ingredients

• knob of butter
• 3 shallots
• finely chopped
• 500g/1lb 2oz carnaroli risotto rice
• 1.5litres/2½ pints hot vegetable stock
• 3 tsp finely chopped thyme
• 2 tbsp mascarpone
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan
• 125g/4½oz cold butter
• diced
• cabernet sauvignon vinegar
• to taste
• olive oil
• for frying
• 1kg/2lb 4oz button mushrooms
• 150g/5½oz dried ceps (porcini mushrooms)
• 100g/3½oz mushroom bouillon
• 1.75 litres/3 pints veal stock
• 1.75 litres/3 pints white chicken stock
• 20 morel mushrooms
• 2 tbsp minced shallot
• 4 tsp white wine
• 200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
• 40g/1½oz wild garlic
• parmesan shavings
• wild rocket
• 240g/9oz calves’ or sheeps’ sweetbreads
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• for frying
• knob of butter

Directions

• For the risotto
• heat the butter in a frying pan. Gently fry the shallots until softened. Add the rice and stir to coat in the butter and shallots. Cook until the rice is translucent.
• Add the hot stock and thyme and cook for seven minutes. Spoon the risotto onto a baking tray and set aside to cool.
• For the mushroom stock
• heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the button mushrooms and fry until golden-brown.
• Add the dried ceps
• mushroom bouillon and stock. Bring to the boil
• and continue to cook over a high heat until the volume of liquid has reduced by half. Strain the mushrooms
• set aside and return the liquid to the pan. Continue to cook over a high heat until the volume of liquid has reduced by half again. Remove from the heat and reserve for later.
• For the morels
• trim the white rim around the base of the morels
• then soak in warm water to remove any sand that may be inside the mushrooms. Drain.
• Heat a little olive oil a pan set over high heat
• and fry the morels with the minced shallot until golden-brown. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cover with a lid. Cook until the wine has evaporated
• then add the chicken stock and cook with a lid on until the stock has evaporated and the mushrooms are glazed. Remove from the heat and reserve for later.
• For the garnish
• wash and spin dry all the wild garlic
• then remove all the stems. Reserve 12 of the smallest leaves for the garnish
• finely chop the rest and reserve for later.
• For the sweetbreads
• using a sharp knife remove the outer skin/membrane from the sweetbreads. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a little oil and a knob of butter in a pan set over high heat. When the butter is foaming
• add the sweetbreads and fry until golden-brown and crisp on the outside and the juices run clear (not milky) when a knife is inserted into the thickest part. Remove from the pan and reserve for later.
• To finish the risotto
• heat a large pan over a medium heat and add 400g/14oz of the cooked and chilled risotto rice. Pour in 360ml/12fl oz of the mushroom stock and cook until the rice is al dente
• then remove from the heat and add the chopped wild garlic
• mascarpone
• grated parmesan and the diced cold butter. Keep stirring until all the ingredients are combined and hot.
• Add a few drops of cabernet sauvignon vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into four serving bowls and garnish with the sweetbreads
• morels
• parmesan shavings
• rocket and raw wild garlic leaves. Drizzle any juice left in the morel pan over the risotto as this is packed with flavour.