Northern & Central Italian Family Cooking by Carmela Sophia Sereno

Author:Carmela Sophia Sereno
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Barolo Risotto, Risotto al Barolo

A wonderful, simple risotto that is lifted with the richness of a full-bodied Barolo wine. I have decided to keep this risotto as simple as possible, as I want the carnaroli rice plump and the ruby warmth of the Barolo to shine through. If preferred, you can begin the risotto with a standard soffritto and even add some wonderful autumn mushrooms through the risotto for added texture. What is vital here is the quality of your stock. Homemade is preferable, however a good-quality deli stock or fresh supermarket stock would suffice.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes, plus resting time

1.5 litres beef stock

60g salted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large banana shallot, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 garlic clove, crushed

400g carnaroli risotto rice

250ml Barolo red wine

60g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, plus extra to serve

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves and stalks

1. Warm the stock gently in a saucepan over a low heat. Taste the stock and check for additional seasoning.

2. Melt half the butter in a large, shallow sauté pan with the olive oil over a low heat, add the chopped shallot and cook for about 7 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the bay leaf and crushed garlic, stir, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the rice and stir with a wooden spoon to ensure that each grain is covered in the shallot juices, toasting it for 1 minute, then pour in the wine and stir and cook for 2 minutes until the wine has been absorbed.

3. Slowly begin to add the fish stock, one ladle at a time, stirring frequently for 20 minutes or so until the rice has absorbed the stock. For a beautifully rich risotto, I urge you to stand and continuously stir the rice with a wooden spoon that has a hole in the centre (if you have one). Remove the bay leaf, taste and season as required.

4. Remove the risotto from the heat and add the remaining butter, the grated Parmigiano and the chopped parsley. Stir, cover the pan with a clean tea towel and clamp on a lid. This stage is called la mantecatura (see page 14) and it should never be missed. If your hunger allows, then I suggest allowing the risotto to rest for 5–10 minutes.

5. Spoon onto warmed plates and add an extra sprinkling of grated Parmigiano.

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