Instructions: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add onion, garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Cook, stirring, until onion is translucent. Add rice and slowly cook until rice is hot and grains separate. Add more oil if needed.

Add white wine and cook slowly to reduce liquid, stirring constantly. Add mushroom stock, 1 cup at a time, and continue to cook and stir constantly. When each addition of stock is totally absorbed, add next cup stock, and continue to cook and stir until rice is just cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add chopped herbs and roasted mushrooms, and stir to mix in well. Stir in cheese. Transfer risotto mixture to sheet pan and allow to cool.

Shape risotto mixture into four equal-sized cakes. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, saute rice cakes, heating through on both sides and serve. Accompany with scoop of Vegetable Succotash on the side (see recipe).

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Wine Suggestions: Pinot Noir has many faces: the fruity face, the firm face, the gregarious face, the reserved face, the French face, the American face. Fortunately, mushrooms are equally varied, allowing for more precise food-wine pairings here. An earthy risotto with full-flavored mushrooms such as shiitakes calls for a rich American Pinot. If you are aiming for a milder palate, select a wine with a lighter taste such as a leaner Burgundy.

Comments: The very popular Arborio rice from Italy cooks up into the popular rice dish, risotto - a main course that lends itself to a variety of seasonings. The trick to a successful dish is the long, slow cooking required so that the rice grains can slowly absorb the liquid and become tender.

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