Autumn comfort food ideas

This time the ideas are for the weekend when you've more time.

Weekend cooking is different – it's time to kick back, relax and enjoy yourself. If you love your cooking it's reflected on the plate or in this case, in the bowl. I long since gave up seating visitors in a different room when all they want to do is hang around the island where the hob is - chatting, with the obligatory glass of something, munching – appropriately with this recipe - on crostini and watching the cook.

If this picture is appealing to you you'll find that risotto is the perfect dish for the occasion. If you fancy the crostini munching there's a plan coming up and again it's possible to prep ahead so that large plates can be passed around – they take only minutes in the oven - to satisfy those rumbling tummies whilst watching the risotto morph. There'll be various topping ideas to suit your gang – these days too there are so many choices of breads for the crostini - from small baguettes to larger sourdough loaves. Hold that thought – I'll be back with it soon.

All in all it's what I call convivial weekend comfort food.

What follows cannot be rushed, I think of it as a form of therapy. Risotto scares a lot of cooks, there's no need to worry, provided you follow a few basic rules.

There are “spin off” dishes that can be made from the risotto, which I'll come to later.

Here's the basic risotto recipe :

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock

40g unsalted butter

1 tbsp groundnut oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves (or 3 tsps paste)

350g risotto rice

150ml dry white wine

2 tbsps flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

100g Parmesan cheese, grated

salt and black pepper

Bring the stock to a boil and simmer gently. Heat the butter and the oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic until soft. Season with salt. Stir in the rice and fry for 2 minutes until the edges become opaque. Add the wine. Start adding the stock, a ladle at a time – the liquid should be absorbed before you add the next. Add the parsley, black pepper and the Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately in warmed bowls.

Risotto rules up next and hints and tips too!