Risotto is a real "comfort food", it can be very simple and yet very elegant. It can be prepared in many different ways, I have cooked versions with pumpkin, seafood, cheese and lemon. A particularly good vegetable source of zinc is dried shiitake mushrooms, which contain 7.7 mg of zinc per 100 g, giving us half our daily requirement. This is the basis of this mushroom risotto. An excellent source of zinc from animal sources are oysters and large crustaceans.

It is advisable to pour hot water over the dried mushrooms about half an hour before cooking. In a large non-stick pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter, add the onion and sauté until translucent. Then add the rice and stir-fry for a few minutes until the rice turns white. Gradually cook the risotto by pouring hot water over the dried mushrooms. Start with 0.2 litres, stir the rice and when it has absorbed enough of the liquid, add 0.2 litres more. Repeat this process until all the juice is gone. The rice will cook in 20-25 minutes. Chop up a small part of the soaked mushrooms and add to the risotto. Finally, season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a pan and lightly fry the garlic. Then add the mushrooms and thyme, season with salt and pepper and simmer until tender. At the end, add the fresh parsley. Serve the sautéed mushrooms with the freshly made risotto.