Pomegranate risotto

• By Claire Borg

Bernard Muscat's wine recommendation: serve this with a slightly sweetish white wine to counteract the saltiness of the cheese and speck and the tanginess of the pomegranate.

For 4 people, you will need:

350g of arborio rice, 150g of speck (from the supermarket delicatessen counter), one medium onion (very finely chopped), one vegetable stock cube 900ml of boiling water, 150ml of white wine, 200g of pomegranate arils and some more for garnishing, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of grated lemon zest, 150ml of fresh cream, 50g of grated Parmesan cheese, freshly ground black pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, a knob of butter.

Dice the speck finely. Warm the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, adding the olive oil, and then cook the onion, splashing it with white wine every now and again. Add half of the speck, then the arborio rice, and half of the lemon zest, and cook, while stirring continuously, for three minutes. Add some of the boiling water and the crumbled stock cube. Never leave the rice unattended, and constant stirring is a must when making risotto. When the liquid is almost wholly absorbed, add more water and splashes of white wine. After about 20 minutes, test the rice to see whether it is done. Some grains need more cooking-time than others. When it is nearly done, add the grated Parmesan cheese, the rest of the lemon zest, the remaining speck, the nutmeg and a generous sprinkling of freshly ground pepper. Stir in the pomegranate arils and serve immediately, garnished with more arils.