Eat it

THIS week is a quest for perfection. Notoriously easy to make, but notoriously hard to make perfectly. If you pride yourself on your cooking abilities, this is test time. If the rice clings gently together and retains a fluffy texture, you've cracked it. Good luck!

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Serves two as a main course or four to six as a starter.

Ingredients

200g assorted wild mushrooms

10g dried mushrooms (e.g. porcini)

200g arborio rice

1l home-made chicken stock

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 chopped garlic cloves

1 tbspn olive oil

glass of white wine

knob of butter

50g parmesan cheese

1 bunch wild rocket

truffle oil (optional)

Method

Soak the dried mushrooms in half a pint of boiling water and set aside for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

Melt the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. If there is a layer of fat on top of the stock, scrape this off and add it to the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently until soft.

Wash the rice to remove any excess starch and add it to the pan. Coat the rice in the oil and continue to cook for a few minutes until translucent.

Add the dried mushrooms along with the soaking liquid, then begin adding the stock, a little at a time, letting each addition be absorbed before adding any more. The amount of stock used may vary – use just enough to cook the rice. Keep stirring.

Meanwhile, sauté the wild mushrooms in olive oil in a separate pan and then add them to the rice.

When the rice is almost cooked, add the wine and keep stirring.

When the risotto has a soft, creamy consistency, add the grated parmesan and a knob of butter.

Serve with the rocket leaves and a few extra shavings of parmesan.

For a luxurious touch, drizzle with a little truffle oil.

Recommended by Simon Gueller of the Box Tree restaurant, Ilkley.


Get fit

Exercise Myths

Although some old fitness fictions, such as "no pain, no gain" and "spot reducing" are fading fast, plenty of popular exercise misconceptions still exist. Here is one of the most common myths as well as the not-so-common facts based on current exercise research.

You Will Burn More Fat If You Exercise Longer at a Lower Intensity.

The most important focus in exercise and fat weight control is not the percentage of exercise energy coming from fat but the total energy cost, or how many calories are burned during the activity. The faster you walk, step or run, for example, the more calories you use per minute. However, high-intensity exercise is difficult to sustain if you are just beginning or returning to exercise, so you may not exercise very long at this level. It is safer, and more practical, to start out at a lower intensity and work your way up gradually.

Recommended by personal trainer Richard Hill, www.richard hill.org.