This recipe is well traveled. Astrid Øyehaug, who kindly sent it to me, and her family live in Oslo but spend much but time in the house they have restored in Sicily. I was reminded that I had kept an article by Rachel Roddy from The Guardian extolling the virtues of fennel risotto and how it would convert even the most hardened of fennel sceptics.

The extra fruit used in this recipe gives it a very fresh taste. It is more complicated but can be prepared in stages and even started the day before.

Rachel Roddy adds only unwaxed grated lemon peel at the end of cooking to her fennel risotto but even this gives a definite citrus zing. She also allows Parmesan cheese which is an extra bonus for the fennel doubters.

Light chicken stock could be used in place of vegetable stock and, if making your own stock from scratch, the discarded outer layers and stalks of fennel could be added to give extra flavour.

Risotto with Fennel and a Citrus reduction:

1 litre vegetable stock
160g risotto rice
2 tbsp olive oil
250g fennel, outer layers removed and finely sliced into arcs
60g butter
1 leek, finely sliced (or a white onion)
125 ml white wine
2 oranges
1 grapefruit
1 lemon
A pinch grated nutmeg
30g sugar
1/2 tsp cornflour
10 ml Grand Marnier (or similar)
Salt
Fennel fronds for decoration

Squeeze the juice from the oranges, grapefruit and lemon (approx 200 ml). In a medium sized pan, bring sugar and Grand Marnier to the boil and then let it simmer for a minute. Whisk in half the butter. Add the fruit juice and let it boil for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the salt, nutmeg and cornflour that has been mixed to a smooth paste in one tablespoon of water. Leave to boil gently for a further five minutes. Put aside to cool.

Melt the remaining butter in a thick bottomed frying pan and add the sliced leek (or onion) and fry gently for a few minutes before adding the sliced fennel and salt. Leave to cook until the fennel is soft and translucent.

To make the risotto. heat the olive oil in a thick bottomed frying pan and add the rice. Stir the rice around to absorb the oil and then add the white wine (which as Rachel Roddy writes should ‘whoosh’ as it hits the pan). When the wine is absorbed, start adding the stock a ladleful at a time, allowing it to be absorbed before adding the next, until the rice is cooked.

Add the fennel puree and stir this into the risotto.. More butter could also be added.

Serve with the citrus reduction poured over and some fennel fronds on top.