Risotto in Venetian style in Italy itself is better known as risi e bisi - rice and peas. Previously, it was cooked only on holidays, but now at any time when there are young peas on hand.
Pick your recipe
You will need
-
- 50 g pancetta;
- 1 medium onion;
- 400 g of rice arborio or vialone;
- 50 ml of olive oil;
- 75 g butter;
- 1
- 5 l of chicken stock;
- 500 g of peeled fresh young green peas;
- a small bunch of parsley:
- 1/2 cup grated Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese.
Instruction manual
1
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a deep pan with a thick bottom. Put and melt half the butter. Peel and chop the onion into a small cube. Pancetta also cut into cubes, but much larger. If you don’t have pancetta - a variety of ham bacon made from pork belly with herbs and nutmeg - replace it with brisket, bacon or even slices of smoked pork sausage. Preheat the broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and keep the broth on low heat, keeping it hot. Sauté the onions and ham in olive oil until the onions are transparent. Add rice.
2
Fry the rice, stirring constantly, until it becomes translucent. It takes about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not allow the color of the figs to change to golden, and even more so to golden brown. Pour 1 ladle of hot stock into the rice and mix well. Periodically stirring the risotto, wait until the broth is completely absorbed, and add another broth. Repeat this procedure 3-4 times. Cooking risotto should take about 20 minutes and all this time you need to add fluid as it is absorbed. A good risotto gurgles and a spoon leaves a mark on it. The consistency of the dish is cream.
3
Boil the young green peas in slightly salted water until half ready, drain through a colander. Calculate so that the peas are ready 12-14 minutes after you start to cook the risotto. Add the peas to the rice along with a handful of chopped parsley. Cook another 3-4 minutes. Try the risotto - rice should reach the al dente stage - soft on the outside with a slightly stiff center. Turn off the heat, add the butter and grated parmesan. Cover the risotto and let it brew for another 2-3 minutes.
4
If you don’t want authenticity, you can cook Venetian risotto with frozen peas. It is added to the dish without defrosting, immediately after you fry the ham and onions.