This is an old, old recipe: Pellegrino Artusi tells of being served something quite similar at the end of a long drive through the country more than a century ago, by an innkeeper who had just killed a brace of chickens when they arrived, and offered to whip something together. It will work quite nicely as a one-course meal, with a salad, and a zesty red wine, for example a Bardolino or a Chianti d'Annata. A good Lambrusco, for example Ermete Medici's Concerto, would also be nice.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups (500 g) Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice
- A chicken, weighing about 2 pounds (1 k)
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 medium onions
- 1 medium carrot
- A stick of celery
- 1 clove garlic
- A small bunch of parsley
- A bay leaf
- 1 glass dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Begin by flaming the chicken to remove pinfeathers, then chop it and bone the breasts and thighs. Put the pieces in a pot with one of the onions, the celery, the bunch of parsley, the garlic, and bay leaf and the carrot. Add cold water to cover and put the pot on the fire; when it reaches a boil skim off the scum and continue simmering for about an hour, until the chicken is done. Fish the chicken from the pot and cut the meat into thin strips, discarding the skin.
Mince the other onion and sauté it in the butter. When it turns golden (do not let it overbrown) add the chicken pieces and stir in the wine. Once the wine has evaporated stir in the rice, and begin adding the broth a ladle at a time (check the saltiness of the dish at some point and add salt if need be). When the rice reaches the al dente stage remove it from the fire, dust it with the minced parsley and a healthy grinding of pepper, and serve.
This will serve six, and I might be tempted to have some grated cheese at the table for those who want it.
Mince the other onion and sauté it in the butter. When it turns golden (do not let it overbrown) add the chicken pieces and stir in the wine. Once the wine has evaporated stir in the rice, and begin adding the broth a ladle at a time (check the saltiness of the dish at some point and add salt if need be). When the rice reaches the al dente stage remove it from the fire, dust it with the minced parsley and a healthy grinding of pepper, and serve.
This will serve six, and I might be tempted to have some grated cheese at the table for those who want it.
