0:00:17 > 0:00:23For years, this was my dinner party staple. This is a wild rice risotto.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Which is totally different from a traditional risotto.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29It shouldn't really be called a risotto,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31but it's made in the same way as a risotto.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35It's stovetop, it's fed, it's a mixture of rices.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39I've got red rice, wild rice, and brown basmati.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40No arborio rice,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44so I think it would make an Italian turn in their grave.
0:00:44 > 0:00:50In here, I have two leeks, a red onion, and two cloves of garlic,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54and, to that mixture, I'm going to add one grated carrot,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58one courgette, a good handful of wild mushrooms.
0:00:59 > 0:01:00Roughly tear them.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I think the reason this recipe is so good for a celebratory meal is
0:01:05 > 0:01:07it's beautiful to look at,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09you've got lots of different things going on,
0:01:09 > 0:01:14so three different kinds of rice, all these lovely vegetables.
0:01:16 > 0:01:22Next, you're going to add brown basmati. It's 500g.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Yes, it might be the brown rice that will finish the Italians off,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28but, just like a traditional risotto,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31now is the moment where you can add a good glug of wine.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Absolutely love that smell of the wine hitting the bottom of the pan.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48So, once that wine has been guzzled up by the rice,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52this is where the patient ladling bit begins.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05So, really, the trick with risotto is to just keep feeding it,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09the moment it looks thirsty, another spoonful of stock.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I used to love my mum's dinner parties when I was little.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16The feeling of total fascination,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19watching her as she put on her make-up and her earrings.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22And, then, getting tricked into laying the table
0:02:22 > 0:02:26- and thinking it was a great treat. - CHUCKLES
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Then there's that very specific smell of a party,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32sort of wafting upstairs.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37Very politically incorrect now, but the smell of cigarettes and perfume,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41and, sort of, whisky, and just... Brilliant.
0:02:41 > 0:02:42Brilliant smells.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46So, the rice has puffed up, I'm going to add to it
0:02:46 > 0:02:49what I cooked earlier, which was some wild rice and red rice.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53This is both a flavour thing and a texture thing,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57because the rice that's been cooking in the pot with the stock is creamy,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01the wild rice, you've got that slightly nutty, bitter taste.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03It just works really well as a combination.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Mm.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09It feels really filling and moreish.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13You could have that as a main course if you were vegetarian.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Also, really good cold for the next day for lunch.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17Some salt.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Some pepper.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Grated Parmesan.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27And then, lastly, a decent sized bunch of parsley.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Coriander. Not remotely a strict combination.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32You could use basil, you could use chives,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34you could use a bit of tarragon.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35The thing that's lovely about this
0:03:35 > 0:03:37is you've got that sort of freshness of the coriander,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39the cleanness of the parsley,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41and it just works well with that sort of nutty rice.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44So, what I'm going to do now... I've got this mould.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Please don't imagine that
0:03:49 > 0:03:53every night I'm going to the trouble of putting my food in moulds.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I'm not.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I'm serving it in a cake mould
0:03:57 > 0:04:00because it's going to set in the fridge,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03and then you turn it out and it's like a sort of risotto cake.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Beautiful if you've got people coming over,
0:04:05 > 0:04:11and it's celebratory, and that's what the whole spirit of tonight is.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13All that needs to happen with this now, is it cools
0:04:13 > 0:04:17and then it goes into the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18It's so easy.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23The good news is you get to have a bath,
0:04:23 > 0:04:28be relaxed, and not answer your door a fraught, kind of, manic mess.