Ingredienti by Marcella Hazan & Victor Hazan

Author:Marcella Hazan & Victor Hazan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scribner

RISOTTO RICE

Il Riso da Risotto

Every language has a word for rice. In Italian it’s riso. But there is no other word, in any language, for risotto, the rich, creamy transformation of rice into a dish almost limitless in its variety that northern Italian cooks began to produce about two hundred years ago.

The unique consistency of risotto has its source in slow, continual stirring of rice over moderate heat to release some of its starch. Only a handful of Italian rice varieties suit the risotto method, and one can limit one’s acquaintance to the three most important ones: Arborio, Carnaroli, and Vialone Nano. These are their varietal names, for each of which there are several producers.

Arborio rice has long established its popularity with cooks both in Italy and abroad. Its plump, large grains are packed with starch, of which a substantial amount will dissolve to produce risotto with luscious texture. It demands watchfulness in the dosage of liquid and careful timing. Overcooked Arborio makes gummy risotto.

Carnaroli, which was created in 1945 from a cross between Vialone and a Japanese strain, is the finest variety for risotto. Its handsome, large kernel is sheathed in soft starch that dissolves deliciously as you stir, while the core of tough starch expands visibly as it absorbs broth, cooking to a firm, satisfying, elegant consistency. When I first wrote about it in 1986, Carnaroli was a rare item that few of my readers could then find, but it has since won over so many cooks that its production has drawn close to Arborio’s.

There are many excellent producers of Carnaroli, such as Campanini and Beretta, but the outstanding one is Acquerello. Upon harvesting the rice, Acquerello stores the unhusked kernels in a granary at low temperature for a minimum of one year and a maximum of seven before processing it. Aging stabilizes the components of the rice, which hold up better when cooked and more fully absorb the ­risotto’s flavors.

Vialone Nano is the signature variety of risotto in Venice and other cities of the Veneto region. Its kernel is round and stubby and well-endowed with starch. It cooks to an admirable firm consistency and is well-suited to seafood risottos in the Veneto style known as all’onda (wavy). There is a version of Vialone Nano, produced with vintage equipment, that bestows a different and enjoyable texture on risotto. In this antique procedure, an oval basin of red Verona marble contains the rice, and old gears made of wood lift and lower wooden poles two yards long to pound the grains, softly husking them. The poles are called pestelli, and the rice is known as riso ai pestelli. A grainy substance from the ­gentle husking clings to the rice and eventually slips into the risotto, adding to its texture. One of the producers that still makes Vialone Nano with pestelli is Gazzani, who ships its rice to the online specialist in Italian foods, Gustiamo.

Marcella’s spatula for stirring risotto

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.