Porcini Mushroom Risotto

When I was a child, my father was very keen on mushrooms. Mycology became his passion and he kept a microscope and dozens of slides and samples in a room we were not allowed to play in. He would go out mushroom picking almost every weekend, particularly in the autumn. In fact, mushroom picking in the woods outside Rome often became a family outing; the ultimate prize was porcini, cep mushrooms with their wonderfully refined flavour. We would eat them simply sautéed with garlic and