Risotti Veneti
The Valle Padana in northern Italy must surely rank among the flattest places on earth; if you cross the Apennines and drive through Bologna, heading north on the highway, to the left you'll see the foothills of the Apennines, which gradually fade as the road draws away from them. To the right, on the other hand, you'll see... Flat. Fields and orchards, with the occasional house rising up a little, but nothing else, fading into the haze. Unless it's very clear, and then you'll see flatlands, becoming indistinct in the distance, and above it all the white line of the Alpine peaks, which gradually become distinct if you take the Autobrennero that cuts northeast towards Verona. All that flat, covered with crops, and unless it has been raining very hard, you won't see much water at all, except as you cross the Po River.
Hasn't always been like this, however: Flatlands crossed by waterways tend to be marshy unless somebody does something to improve the drainage, and large sections of the Pianura Padana were bog until well into the Middle Ages, when the Cistercians and other monks selected inhospitable places to live and set about farming to support themselves. Their activities attracted others, and soon towns sprouted around their monasteries, with people supporting themselves through handcrafts and agriculture; dairy farming proved especially successful around what is now Milano, and Grana Padana, Parmigiano Reggiano's close relative, was developed as a means for preserving the abundance of milk for harder times.
Some areas, however, proved more difficult to drain, and when a new water-loving grain was introduced to the Mediterranean Basin by the Arabs, the traders who brought it home with them found it ideally suited to their marshes. So began the cultivation of rice in the Veneto, which has spread throughout the Pianura Padana and continues unabated today. As has happened with most of the plants Italians grow, the different regions grow different strains of rice. In cookbooks one most often finds mention of Riso Arborio, but in the region between Verona and Mantova Vialone Nano is king, a variety of rice whose grains are so short they're almost round, and which are perfect for making a firm risotto.
Never made a risotto?
Here are the basic instructions, taken from the risotto page:
Begin by mincing a small volume
of onion and whatever other herbs the recipe calls for. Sauté the
mixture in abundant olive oil or unsalted butter, and when it has browned
remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.
Then stir in the rice and sauté it too until it becomes translucent
(this will take 5-7 minutes), stirring constantly to keep it from sticking.
Return the sautéed seasonings to the pot and stir in a third of a cup of
dry white or red wine that you have previously warmed (if it is cold you will
shock the rice, which will flake on the outside and stay hard at the core).
Once the wine has evaporated completely, add a ladle of simmering broth; stir
in the next before all the liquid is absorbed, because if the grains get too
dry they will flake. Continue cooking, stirring and adding broth as the rice
absorbs it, until the rice barely reaches the al dente stage (if you
want your risotto firm, time your additions of broth so that the rice will
finish absorbing the broth when it reaches this stage; if you want it softer,
time the additions so there will still be some liquid left -- a risotto made
like this is called all'onda, i.e. wavy). At this point stir in a tablespoon of
butter and the grated cheese (if the recipe calls for it), cover the risotto,
and turn off the flame. Let it sit, covered, for two to three minutes, and
serve.
If you want a richer risotto, stir in a scant quarter cup of heavy cream in addition to the butter. Risotto that has had cream stirred into it called mantecato, and is remarkably smooth.
Some recipes, which don't follow the standard risotto technique, but work very well:
Risotto All'Isolana
A classic from
Isola della Scala, the heart of Veronese rice production, made with pork and
cheese.
Risotto col Tastasal
An unusual
risotto, which the housewives of the Veneto make to check the seasoning of
their home-made salami. Also, a recipe for risotto with sausage.
Risotto alla Pilota
A hearty
risotto with lots of pork, for the people who worked Verona's rice mills and
needed substantial foods.
Riso e Luganeghe
Rice with sausage,
one of the most classic dishes of the Veneto.
Riso Pilaf con Pesci Gatto
An
interesting pilaf with catfish.
Risotto Ko-Samui
An innovative
chicken-and-bell pepper risotto from Gabriele Ferron.
Risotto al Radicchio Rosso di
Verona
The bitterness of radicchio goes wonderfully with the
creamy texture of a risotto.
Got more sites / recipes to suggest? Let me know.
A Presto,
Kyle
Phillips
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