Watercress risotto with poached egg and Parmesan

Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan, then cover and keep warm

Bring another pan of salted water to a boil for cooking the watercress 

Reserve a few small sprigs of watercress for garnish, then blanch the remainder in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into a bowl of iced water - this will keep the bright green colour

Blend the cooled watercress to a purée with a splash of the hot stock  

Melt the butter into the olive oil in a pan over a low heat. Sweat the onion and celery with a good pinch of salt until soft and translucent

Turn the heat up to medium, add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute, then add the white wine and let it bubble down until almost no liquid remains

Add the risotto rice and fry for a minute or two, making sure all the grains are coated

Start adding the hot stock, a ladle at a time. Stir each ladle of stock into the risotto gently – you want the pan to be steaming and very slightly bubbling, so the rice cooks but you have plenty of time to stir and release the starches in the rice. Once the stock has been absorbed, add another ladle and repeat

Once you’ve used most of the stock, check the rice. It’s ready when it’s al dente – cooked, but with a very slight bite in the middle of the grain

Once the rice is cooked, take it off the heat and stir through the watercress purée. Check for seasoning and add some extra salt if needed

Bring a pan of water to the boil and poach the eggs 

Ladle the risotto into four bowls and top each with a poached egg, the reserved watercress and shavings of Parmesan