Cooking Rice with an Italian Accent! (11 page)

½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

½ cup fresh basil leaves, julienned

Stir vigorously. Transfer to serving bowl and bring to table. Provide grated Parmesan for those who desire it.

RECOMMENDED WINES:

VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO, TREBBIANO

 

Risotto Esau

(ESAU'S RISOTTO)

SERVES 4

The Old Testament of the Bible tells the story of how Jacob deceived his older brother Esau and tricked him into giving away his birthright as first-born son. Jacob knew his brother Esau was a little dim-witted and was crazy about lentil soup. Esau had just come in from a long, hard day of shepherding his father's sheep and goats. He was famished. Jacob had just finished making lentil soup and told Esau he could eat it all if only he would sign a document. Esau had his lentils and Jacob the birthright of a first-born son. This risotto recipe is about the easiest in the book. All you need is a can opener and the rest will be history.

1 quart boiling hot beef stock

1 large can (16 ounces) Progresso brand lentil soup

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons butter

1½ cups Arborio rice

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Put the broth on to boil. Adjust heat to simmer. Open the can of lentil soup, drain, and reserve the liquid. Add the liquid to the simmering broth. Put a large saucepan on moderate heat, add butter and onion. Sauté onion five minutes. Add rice and stir for three minutes. Add broth, cup by cup, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until rice absorbs all the liquid (about sixteen minutes). Add drained lentils and continue to cook, stirring, for five minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining tablespoon butter and sprinkle with grated cheese. Transfer to serving bowl and bring to table. Don't be like Jacob and tell a lie. Tell everyone the truth. You used a can of lentil soup. They won't believe you anyway. This risotto tastes too darn good.

RECOMMENDED WINES:

VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO, ROSSO DI MONTALCINO

 

Risotto Oktoberfest

(OKTOBERFEST RISOTTO)

SERVES 4

I traveled to Munich, Germany, several years ago to attend the world-famous Oktoberfest. I never saw so many people in gigantic beer halls drinking huge steins of beer and knocking down knockwurst, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potatoes. It was a blast! All I could manage to drink was one stein of beer (it held a liter). But you don't have to drink yourself silly to have fun. A few years later I was in Bolzano, Italy. It was Oktoberfest and I saw practically the same scene there as I had in Germany. But this was Italy, after all, and I was served this risotto.

1 quart boiling hot beef stock

2 Würstel (Vienna sausages), skinned (Goya is a good brand)

½ large onion, peeled

2 tablespoons butter

1½ cups Arborio rice

1 can warm beer (12 ounces)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dice the Vienna sausages. Slice the onion thinly and sauté in one tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan on gentle heat for five minutes. Add rice and stir for three minutes. Adjust heat to high. Add beer and cook until it evaporates. Add hot broth, cup by cup, stirring constantly, until rice absorbs all the liquid (about eighteen minutes). During the last two minutes, add sausage. Stir well. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining tablespoon of butter and grated cheese. A cold glass of beer is the natural accompaniment to this Italian risotto that speaks with a German accent, but I was served a hearty, red wine with my meal. Beer simply blows me up and contains too much sugar for my diabetes.

 

Risotto Julienne

(JULIENNE'S RISOTTO)

SERVES 4

On my last trip to Reggio Calabria, Sandro La Bozzetta, my
compare,
took me and my traveling companions Salvatore Vassallo and Frank Di Mauro Jr. to a fabulous country restaurant to celebrate his daughter Claudia's birthday. We traveled in two cars up torturous mountain roads. Mamma Marietta, Sandro, and his wife, Clelia, Claudia, and her fiancé, Sandro Turano, his daughter, Cinzia, and her former fiancé of nine years, Pino Chirico
2
(whom Cinzia dropped because he had a roving eye). The opening course of my unforgettable culinary family experience was an elegant risotto.

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium peeled onion, thinly sliced

1½ cups Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

1 quart boiling hot beef stock

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ quart very hot whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of nutmeg (
¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon)

1 pound mozzarella cheese, in small cubes

2 ounces boiled ham, julienned

In a large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter in oil on gentle heat. Sauté onion for five minutes. Add rice and stir three minutes. Add wine and cook until it evaporates. Add hot broth, cup by cup, constantly stirring for eighteen minutes until rice absorbs all the liquid. Add grated cheese. Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter on gentle heat. Stir in flour and cook for three minutes. Add hot milk, constantly stirring until the sauce thickens, about five minutes. You have made béchamel sauce! Season with salt, pepper, and pinch of nutmeg. Add mozzarella cubes and stir until cheese melts. Transfer cooked rice into warmed serving bowl. Pour the creamy cheese sauce over the top. Garnish with julienned ham. Bring to table immediately.

RECOMMENDED WINES:

TREBBIANO, SAUVIGNON BLANC

 

Risotto al Profumo D'Amaretto

(AMARETTO-FLAVORED RISOTTO)

SERVES 4

Amaretto is a delicious liqueur made in Saronno, Italy from bitter almonds. The bitter almonds are also used to make Amaretti di Saronno, very crispy cookies that are great eaten by themselves, and are often used as an ingredient in desserts. They are available in many Italian shops or by mail order (
here
). In this risotto, they give a delightful contrast to the rest of the ingredients.

1 small peeled onion, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ tablespoons butter

1¾ cups Arborio rice

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

36 ounces boiling hot chicken stock

4 tablespoons light cream

½ teaspoon lemon zest

2 Amaretti di Saronno cookies, crumbled, or one shot glass of Amaretto liqueur

Pinch of cinnamon

3 heaping tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, sauté onion in oil and butter on gentle heat for five minutes. Add rice and stir for three minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and cook until completely evaporated. Add hot broth, cup by cup, constantly stirring until the rice absorbs all the liquid (about eighteen minutes). During the last two minutes of cooking, add cream, lemon zest, crushed amaretti, or Amaretto liqueur, and pinch of cinnamon. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese, stir, and serve immediately.

RECOMMENDED WINES:

VERDUZZO, RIESLING

 

Risotto con Cavolini Bruxelles

(BRUSSELS SPROUTS RISOTTO)

SERVES 4

A lot of people tell me that they love brussels sprouts but cannot get their kids near them. In this magnificent risotto, the tiny cabbages take on a wonderful taste. Are you having a rough time getting your kids to eat brussels sprouts? Make them this risotto, and unless your kids are really weird, they'll eat them. This is a recipe from the city of Milan.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon lard (optional)

1½ tablespoons pancetta or bacon, minced

1 medium peeled onion, thinly sliced

1 large peeled clove garlic, crushed

9 ounces frozen brussels sprouts cooked according to the directions on the package and drained

1½ cups Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

1 quart boiling hot chicken stock

½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 heaping tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Place a large saucepan on gentle heat with oil, butter, and lard, if you are using it. Add onion, brussels sprouts, and garlic. Sauté for five minutes. Add rice and stir. Add wine, adjust heat to high, and cook until wine evaporates (about three minutes). Lower heat to simmer. Add hot broth, cup by cup, constantly stirring, until rice absorbs all the liquid (about eighteen minutes). Remove from heat and vigorously mix in the parsley and grated cheese. Transfer to serving bowl and bring to table. Once in a while you've got to be sneaky to get your kids to eat good things.

RECOMMENDED WINES:

RIESLING ITALICO, VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO

 

Risotto alle Radicchielle

(DANDELION RISOTTO)

SERVES 4

When I was a little child, we had a friend named Donna Micuzza Bareca, who emigrated from Cittanova, a mountain village in the province of Reggio Calabria. Donna Micuzza would often visit Bayonne Park in very early spring and gather the young tender leaves of dandelions, which she always shared with my mother, Donna Carmela. (Donna was the formal title given to women of high station. The English equivalent is “my lady.”) The dandelion has a slightly bitter taste and is chock-full of vitamins and minerals. These days you can purchase them from your green grocer or supermarket. This risotto is for you, Donna Micuzza, may you rest in peace.

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1½ cups Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine

1½ pounds dandelion leaves, washed, boiled for five minutes without any more water than that which remains on the leaves from washing, drained, and minced

2 peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes, minced

1 quart boiling hot chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons light cream

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in olive oil in a large saucepan over gentle heat. Sauté onion for five minutes. Add rice and stir for three minutes. Add wine and cook until evaporated. Add minced dandelions and tomatoes. Cook five minutes. Add hot broth, cup by cup, constantly stirring for eighteen minutes until rice absorbs all liquid. Season with salt and pepper. During the last two minutes of cooking rice, add the cream, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the grated cheese. Mix well. Remove from the heat, let stand two minutes. Turn into a serving bowl and bring to the table.

RECOMMENDED WINES:

ALCAMO BIANCO, SICILIA VERMENTINO

 

Risotto Variopinto

(MULTICOLORED RISOTTO)

SERVES 4

This risotto is so colorful and eye-appealing that your guests will whisper when you serve them as if they were visiting an art museum. In fact, I ate this risotto for the first time right around the corner from the Pitti Palace art museum in Florence, Italy. Perhaps the chef was inspired to create his work of art from viewing the magnificent canvases of Rafaello, Tintoretto, El Greco, Goya, and company. This risotto not only looks beautiful but tastes beautiful. What more can one ask?