Extra Virgin (16 page)

Risotto with Taleggio and Wild Carrot Honey

RISOTTO
with taleggio and wild carrot honey

RISOTTO TALEGGIO E MIELE DI CAROTA SELVATICA

SERVES 4–6

G:
The inspiration for this risotto was a nomadic beekeeper I met in Italy, who moves across the peninsula seasonally—a bee shepherd. His fantastic honeys are tied to the seasons. His wild carrot honey was one of my favorites, and combined with the melted Taleggio it was a wonderful discovery. If you can’t find wild carrot honey, sunflower or any meadow flower honey works nicely. I wouldn’t use a tree honey like pine though, because they tend to be more aggressive and bitter in flavor. You want a dollop of sweetness here, the way a drizzle of olive oil finishes a dish, not something that turns your risotto into a syrupy soup.

4 cups
vegetable stock, homemade
or store-bought

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely diced

1 cup Carnaroli rice

½ cup dry white wine

¼ pound Taleggio or La Tur cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ head Treviso radicchio, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

4 to 6 teaspoons wild carrot honey or sunflower honey

In a small pot, heat the stock over medium-low heat until just before boiling. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a deep, 14-inch nonstick sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shallot is softened but not colored. Add the rice and stir well, making sure to coat all the grains in oil. Toss the rice a few times, then add the wine and let it reduce for 2 to 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly start adding the stock, a 4- to 6-ounce ladleful at a time. Stir constantly, giving the rice time to absorb the liquid each time before adding another ladleful, until the rice is al dente, 15 to 25 minutes.

Add the Taleggio and let it melt completely, about 4 minutes. Add the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pan from the heat and add the radicchio, stirring to mix it well with the rice.

Serve on plates garnished with the parsley, a touch of grated Parmesan, and lastly, a generous teaspoon of the honey.

SHRIMP AND ZUCCHINI RISOTTO

RISOTTO ZUCCHINI E GAMBRETTI

SERVES 4–6

This seafood/vegetable risotto is a staple in Italy’s coastal areas. Cooking the zucchini separately from the risotto is necessary for the uniformity of the dish, otherwise it would get too soft. This way, the zucchini shares some textural consistency with the shrimp when they’re added together at the end. A tip about cooking zucchini: Avoid stirring when in the pan, because they’ll break too easily. Toss the pan with a sharp whip of the wrist to move the zucchini around.

4 cups
vegetable stock, homemade
or store-bought

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

5 small zucchini, cubed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 cup Carnaroli rice

1¼ cups dry white wine

¾ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

In a small pot, heat the stock over medium-low heat until just before boiling. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a deep, 14-inch nonstick sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the zucchini and cook for about 15 minutes, until browned. Transfer the zucchini to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and foamy. Add the shallots and sauté for about 3 minutes, until tender.

Add the rice and stir well, making sure all grains of rice are coated. Stir in 1 cup of the wine, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook it about 3 minutes to reduce slightly.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly start adding the stock, a 4- to 6-ounce ladleful at a time, stirring constantly, giving the rice time to absorb the liquid each time before adding another ladleful, until the rice is al dente, 15 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper to taste, then add the parsley and the remaining ¼ cup wine. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 3 minutes, until the shrimp turns bright pink. Remove the shrimp from the pan and reserve the pan juices.

Add the Parmesan, zucchini, and cooked shrimp to the rice and stir well. Add the juices from the shrimp pan and cook for 5 minutes, until the shrimp juices are absorbed, adding stock as necessary to prevent the risotto from drying out.

Serve on plates sprinkled with parsley, Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Risotto with Melon and Speck

RISOTTO
with melon and speck

RISOTTO MELONE E SPECK

SERVES 4–6

G:
Deborah makes fun of me for this risotto because she thinks it’s about forcing my love of melon and cured meats onto anything. That may be true, but this also grew out of our time living in Los Angeles, where melon is available all year long. Sweet, cold cantaloupe in a warm rice dish? That might raise eyebrows back home, where this dish bucks tradition, but I found this combination a delicious match. And if you’re feeling creative with the presentation, serve the risotto in the melon’s half-shell!

4 cups
vegetable stock, homemade
or store-bought

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 cup Carnaroli rice

½ cup dry white wine

1 (1½-ounce) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ Tuscan melon or cantaloupe, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup)

3 ounces hand-cut speck (as opposed to machine-cut), sliced into 1-inch-long, ¼-inch-thick strips

4 to 6 zucchini flowers (optional; for garnish)

In a small pot, heat the stock over medium-low heat until just before boiling. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a deep 14-inch nonstick sauté pan, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the shallot and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened but not colored. Add the rice and stir well, evenly coating all the grains. Add the wine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to let it reduce. Add the cheese rind and season with pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly start adding the stock, a 4- to 6-ounce ladleful at a time. Stir constantly and give the rice time to absorb the liquid each time before adding another ladleful, until the rice is al dente, 15 to 25 minutes.

Remove the rice from the heat and season with sea salt to taste. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the grated Parmesan. Set aside to cool for 5 to 7 minutes, until the risotto is room temperature. Add the melon and speck, stir well, and serve immediately on plates with a drizzle of olive oil and a zucchini flower.

RISOTTO
with squab and mushrooms

RISOTTO PICCIONE E FUNGHI

SERVES 4–6

G:
Pigeon meat is leaner than that of a lot of birds we eat, so it has a bit more bite to it, but it’s also incredibly satisfying. It goes really well with the porcini mushrooms and the minty Italian herb called nipitella, creating a cold season classic, and a real favorite with hunters in my homeland.

½ pound fresh porcini mushrooms, cleaned and cut into ¼-inch-thick strips, or 2 ounces dried porcini

4 cups
vegetable stock, homemade
or store-bought

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

2 squab breasts (5 ounces each) or guinea fowl breasts

5 fresh sage leaves

1 garlic clove

1 sprig fresh nipitella or 2 small sprigs thyme and mint

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 cup Carnaroli rice

½ cup dry white wine

1 (1½-ounce) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind or ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

If working with dried porcini, soak the mushrooms in lukewarm water for about 20 minutes.

In a small pot, heat the stock over medium-low heat until just before boiling. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a small nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the squab and sage and sear the squab, 3 minutes per side. Add a ladleful of stock, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 15 minutes, until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pan and allow to cool. Debone the squab breast and shred the meat with your hands.