Risotto al vino, made with red wine, is common throughout northern Italy, and rightly so, because it is tasty. However, it's not particularly elegant... It's simply wine red. In short, fit for a family meal, but not the sort of elegant dish one might want to serve company. But, one can jazz it up.
The night before the presentation of the 2006 Amarone, the folks at Verona's Antico Caffé Dante (Behind Piazza delle Erbe) served us a red wine risotto made with Amarone, garnishing it with grilled Radicchio di Treviso, slivered almonds, and sprigs of parsley. Beautiful, and a very tasty combination!
What, you wonder, is Amarone? An extraordinarily rich, powerful wine made in the Valpolicella region, just north of Verona. It's one if Italy's most sought after wines, and good vintages are capable of aging for decades, by which time they become spellbinding. The 2006 isn't of that caliber -- the fruit is ripe, but there's not enough acidity for long aging -- but it is quite nice, and will drink very well with elegant meat dishes in the next 3-5 years at least.
Last thing: If you would rather drink your Amarone (2004 Amaroni that impressed me, and and considering their prices, I would), this risotto will be just as good with a Valpolicella, or -- for that matter -- a Barbera or a Nebbiolo. Or even a Chianti.
Comments
I love risotto of any kind, but I’ve never had red wine risotto. This looks so delicious!
It’s delicious, Linda. You should definitely try it. And open a nice bottle of Amarone, too!
My brother-in-law makes pasta in a similar way with red wine. Risotto and pasta both make for great comfort food. Delish!
Really? Is red wine risotto that common in Verona? I’ve never seen it in all my months in Friuli, the next province, and my Friulano husband would freak out, I’m sure. So I’ll have to take your word for it. Cindy
I admit that I haven’t had Risotto al vino in Friuli, but I have had it in Piemonte, Lombardia and the Veneto (more than once, with both red and white wines). I also admit that I didn’t find any recipes for risotto al vino in my Italian cookbooks from Friuli Venezia Giulia. However, Fred Plotkin does give a recipe for risotto al vino in “La Terra Fortunata,” which is the best English language cookbook dedicated to Friuli Venezia Giulia I know of. In other words, it may not be common but it is made there.
It is really great “risotto with red wine”, I prepared it for our wine dinner at Decanter wine house Jakarta almost a year ago. I used Torbreck Australian wine
I like this recipe very much! Risotto al vino great.