I’m wary of the kitchen-sink approach to risotto: swamping the essential taste of rice, butter and stock with ingredients more suited to a pasta sauce. But there are some flavours that seem made for it – porcini in winter, truffles when you can afford them, saffron any time, and fresh herbs in summer. Rosemary and parsley is a favourite mix, but mint, chervil, dill, rocket, basil and sweet marjoram are all good – alone or in various combinations.

The herbs should be chopped (or, in the case of basil, torn) just before using. Rosemary is the only one I add early on rather than at the end of cooking. With the wine, aim, as always, for milder-flavoured whites such as pinot grigio or Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne, rather than strong flavours and high acidity, like sauvignon blanc.

Serves 4

125g butter, preferably unsalted
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
250g carnaroli, arborio or vialone nano rice
1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
125ml dry white wine
1.2 litres hot stock (preferably homemade chicken)
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (or chervil)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
45g fresh parmesan, grated

Melt 100g of the butter in a large, thick-based saucepan. Cook the onion gently until soft, making sure it doesn’t catch – this can easily take 15 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat all the grains with butter. Stir in the rosemary. Add the wine, stir and turn the heat up to medium. Cook, bubbling – but not boiling hard – until the wine has been absorbed.

Add a ladleful of stock. When it has been absorbed, add another ladleful and so on, stirring periodically to check the rice isn’t sticking. After 20 minutes, you should have used most of the stock. Taste the risotto and if the rice isn’t ready, carry on cooking, adding recently boiled water if you run out of stock.

Just before the rice is done, chop the parsley. Season the risotto as necessary (it will depend on your stock) and stir in the parsley and remaining butter. Stir in the parmesan and serve immediately.

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