More basic than Risotto al Latte they just don’t come. Children love the bland taste,  making it easy for mums to share the meal – mum’s only need to add their own piquant cheese to enjoy sharing and eating a meal with the little ones. Every day that we can spend with our children is a precious gift and the meals with them will be the meals that we remember for the rest of our lives – those meals are the ones that truly sustain us, nourish us and carry us through the bad times as it enriches the good. Ensure that the milk doesn’t boil, otherwise a skin will form on top and most children (and parents) dislike that intensely.

Ingredients

• 1,5 liters warmed milk
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 300 g risotto rice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 5 whole cardamom pods
• 1 whole star anise
• 5 heaped tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste.

Method

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan with the cardamom and the star anise for about 3 minutes to infuse the oil with the flavour of the spices.
• Remove all the spices with slotted spoon and add the rice.
• Fry all the rice until it just begins to look like popped rice and then pour over the first 1 – 2 cups of milk, whisking vigorously and making sure that it doesn’t burn.
• The milk must never  run dry and you need to stir constantly, adding milk just before it does. Sir and add milk until all the milk is absorbed and the rice cooked.
• Check and correct the seasoning, keeping in mind that cooking rice in milk will produce an end product that requires a substantial amount of salt.
• At this point stir in the parmesan and once you’ve dished up for the bland food lovers, add your own cheese – like grated ementahler, pieces of gorgonzola to yours while the little ones enjoy their blander version – and if you’re a great believer in meat – flash fry a chicken breast for them and a slice or two of foie gras for you!
• Have a glass of  chilled Sauvignon Blanc and give them apple juice.