Cheesy risotto finished in a Grana Padano wheel

Carve a hole in the middle of the Grana Padano wheel with thick, strong cheese knives, keeping the carved and grated cheese to help melt into the rice.

Heat a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the onion and saute about three minutes until browned.

Add the rice. Aged acquerello rice needs no toasting; ordinary risotto rice is toasted two to three minutes.

Add half a glass of white wine and start timing: about 15 minutes for this rice, 18 to 20 for some others (read the packet). Let the wine evaporate; its acidity matters to the dish.

Add hot vegetable stock to cover the rice and let it boil, stirring; add more whenever the stock starts to disappear so the rice is never dry.

When the rice is ready, leave a little liquid in the pan to help turn the cheese into cream, and switch off the stove.

Stir in the butter off the heat to bring the ingredients together, then add pepper.

Put part of the risotto into the cheese wheel and press it against the cheese with two spoons so the heat melts more cheese into it.

Add the rest of the risotto and keep working it against the sides of the wheel. No salt is added; the cheese supplies it.