Mrs. Cheoff is back on form! Not content with recovering from her temporary malaise, she has taken over the menu planning big-time. A week after her comforting courgette risotto she suggested a different version with smoked haddock. When Mrs. Cheoff gets suggestive I normally just lay back and think of England... not before sourcing the necessary ingredients, of course!

This one involved another trip to my Man Thursday, Dean and his fish van. I haven't bought the traditional turmeric painted yellow smoked haddock for years but I thought it would add some interesting colour to this dish.

After a bit of internetting I came up with this mash-up. Remember that my meal was for two and adjust accordingly for your needs. You might well recognise a small amount of Jamie Oliver influence:

200g risotto rice (Carnaroli for me this time)

750ml vegetable stock

1 small chopped onion

40g butter

75ml vodka

400g smoked haddock

500ml milk

1 bay leaf

100g frozen peas

1 tablespoonful of chopped fresh tarragon

Things are well under way here. The stock is warming under gentle heat; the onion has been softened but not browned in the butter and the rice added until glistening; smoked haddock is poaching with the milk and bay leaf.

The vodka goes in with the onions and rice - stir until most is absorbed and the alcohol is driven off. Then add ladlefuls of vegetable stock and do the stirring thing which starts to break down the surface of the rice grains.

Take a break and rescue the smoked haddock. Flake it into generous pieces and set aside. Do not discard the milk!

The rice gets a couple more ladles of stock and from then on you add the milk instead. Keep stirring, thinking of England or (infinitely preferable) listen to Cooker #2 or Cooker #3

Your judgement here - don't expect me to do all the work for you! Around twenty minutes in add the peas and smoked haddock pieces and stir with more milk, as needed, until you have softened rice with a little central bite.

Add the chopped tarragon and you are ready to eat. Fish and cheese is a bit of a no-no - so no-no to Parmesan with this one.

I added some walnut oil and chopped walnuts to some of my wholemeal dough this week. The resultant 'cob' was an ideal partner to the risotto.

Looks good, doesn't it... it was! ;)

Risotto: Supplemental