Tag Archives | #rice

Risotto with Creamy Toma and Toasted Hazelnuts

Risotto with Creamy Toma and Hazelnuts
Yum
Print Recipe
A simple white risotto is the perfect canvas for pungent and creamy Piemontese Toma cheese and luscious toasted hazelnuts.Toma is a very aromatic cheese with fresh notes of earth and grass derived from the high mountain Piemontese pastures. It's nutty, even a little sweet, and buttery. It makes a good companion to hazelnuts in this extra creamy risotto.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
25 minutes 5 minutes for resting
Servings Prep Time
4 people 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
25 minutes 5 minutes for resting
Risotto with Creamy Toma and Hazelnuts
Yum
Print Recipe
A simple white risotto is the perfect canvas for pungent and creamy Piemontese Toma cheese and luscious toasted hazelnuts.Toma is a very aromatic cheese with fresh notes of earth and grass derived from the high mountain Piemontese pastures. It's nutty, even a little sweet, and buttery. It makes a good companion to hazelnuts in this extra creamy risotto.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
25 minutes 5 minutes for resting
Servings Prep Time
4 people 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
25 minutes 5 minutes for resting
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 4 cups rice, carnaroli
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 medium bay leaf
  • 4/6 cups vegetable broth, warm
  • fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup parmesan, grated
  • 1 cup hazelnuts toasted and chopped
  • ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Melt one tablespoon of butter with the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Reserve the rest of the butter for later use. Add the finely chopped onion in the pan and cook slowly until translucent. Add the rice and toast it until you hear it popping.
  2. Add the white wine and deglaze the rice, continuously stirring with a wooden spoon. When the wine is reduced and you don't smell the alcool any longer add a few ladles of the vegetable broth. Continue to stir with a wooden spoon. Add the bay leaf. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
  3. Keep adding the broth in increments, and stir the rice over a low flame. Once the rice is almost cooked, and all the broth is absorbed, discard the bay leaf, add the diced Toma, the reserved butter, and the parmesan. Stir slowly until the cheese is melted and the risotto is very creamy. Cook and stir for one or two extra minutes to make sure the risotto is fully cooked but al dente. The whole process should take about 20 minutes.
  4. Move the risotto away from the heat and set aside for at least 5 minutes before serving.
  5. Portion the risotto in serving bowls and sprinkle with the chopped and toasted hazelnuts. Add the chopped parsley and some extra fresh pepper. Serve.
Share this Recipe
Continue Reading

Risi e Bisi

Risi e Bisi
Yum
Print Recipe
Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Risi e bisi, Italian for “rice and peas”, is a humble recipe with origins in the countryside of Venice and Vicenza, Italy. It’s a hybrid between a risotto and boiled rice soup and the quintessential spring dish. Vialone rice is the preferred rice because it has a bigger and rounder grain that releases a copious amount of thickening starches during the cooking process. Like the Venetians, I use the peas and the actual pea pods while making the stock because they give a generous amount of sweetness and a stunning vivid green color to this nourishing and delicious family favorite. If pressed for time you can use frozen peas, but know some of the flavor will be lost in translation. It's a personal choice to use the pancetta or to omit it completely, as is whether to use a spoon or a fork to eat your Risi e Bisi; you do you.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Risi e Bisi
Yum
Print Recipe
Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Risi e bisi, Italian for “rice and peas”, is a humble recipe with origins in the countryside of Venice and Vicenza, Italy. It’s a hybrid between a risotto and boiled rice soup and the quintessential spring dish. Vialone rice is the preferred rice because it has a bigger and rounder grain that releases a copious amount of thickening starches during the cooking process. Like the Venetians, I use the peas and the actual pea pods while making the stock because they give a generous amount of sweetness and a stunning vivid green color to this nourishing and delicious family favorite. If pressed for time you can use frozen peas, but know some of the flavor will be lost in translation. It's a personal choice to use the pancetta or to omit it completely, as is whether to use a spoon or a fork to eat your Risi e Bisi; you do you.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
  • 3 cups fresh peas in pods
  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more
  • 2 ounces pancetta, diced (optional)
  • 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, diced (optional)
  • 1 1/2 cups 400 grams Vialone rice Carnaroli or Arborio can be used
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 bunch parsley leaves, minced
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Shell the peas, reserving the pods. Place the pods and ⅓ of the peas in a medium pot with the vegetable stock and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Strain broth into a medium pot, pressing on pods and the peas to release the most liquid. Discard the solids in the strainer and keep broth warm over low heat.
  2. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and pancetta,if using,and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until onions are soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add remaining peas and ½ cup of the strained broth. Cover and cook until peas are tender, 5 to10 minutes.
  3. Increase heat to high, uncover, and cook off any remaining liquid. Add the rice and stir to coat well. Add about ¾ cup strained broth and cook, stirring constantly, until most of the broth has been absorbed. Add another ¾ cup broth. Continue cooking, stirring and adding broth as needed until the rice is tender but firm to the bite, about 20 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 more cup broth, 2 tbsp. butter or olive oil, parsley and ¼ cup of the Parmesan. Cover and allow to rest for a few minutes. Serve with additional Parmesan.
Share this Recipe
Continue Reading

Risi Bisi Bowl

Comfort in a bowl in less than 25 minutes. It’s called Risi e Bisi. It’s rice and fresh peas. Onions , celery, carrot, pancetta and good chicken stock.

Risi Bisi Bowl
Yum
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8/10 people 15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8/10 people 15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Risi Bisi Bowl
Yum
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8/10 people 15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8/10 people 15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup diced pancetta
  • 1/2 cup diced onion, yellow or white
  • 1/3 cup diced carrots
  • 1/4 cup diced celery
  • 3 cups arborio rice
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 7/8 cups chicken stock
  • 4 cups shelled fresh peas, frozen can be used
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • sea salt and black ground pepper
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Warm one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large heavy pot. Add onion and sauté until soft (do not brown), about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, the celery and then the pancetta and cook until light brown, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring until coated, about 1 minute. Add the thyme and 1 cup stock. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until stock is almost absorbed, about 1 minute.
  2. Add 1 cup stock. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until stock is almost absorbed, about 1 minute. Continue adding stock by the cupful in 5 more additions, stirring constantly and allowing stock to be absorbed between additions, until rice is almost tender. Add peas and remaining cup of stock and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is creamy and tender but still firm to the bite, about 22 minutes total. Stir in 1/4 cup hot water if rice seems dry.
  3. Remove pan from heat. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter, 1 Tbsp. oil, Parmesan, and parsley. Season rice and peas with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowls or plates, and serve.
Share this Recipe
Continue Reading

A Very Lazy Dinner

Yesterday I woke up with no will nor power for fussy cooking.

I have been in the kitchen non-stop for the past 3 weeks testing and tasting for clients and projects, the thought of spending additional time preparing dinner was unquestionably out of the question.  Yet it was a lovely afternoon and I wanted to treat my family to a good meal and spend some precious time with the kids outside. We are very taken by badminton at the moment and my son had an explosive science project he wanted to show me.  The science project was explosive indeed. It required a large amount of my cornstarch and soda water, we survived in one piece and dinner turned out even more explosive and a slam-dunk with the family, something I feel is,
at times, more rewarding than a Michelin star.

What I made was insalata di riso. That’s a very Italian rice salad. It’s a classing dish made on summer days and it mostly appears at large gatherings and picnics.

rice-salad-silvia-baldini

The rice is boiled for 15 minutes with fresh or frozen peas and rinsed in cold water to cool it off and to get rid of most of the starch. Then the fun starts. The classic recipe calls for good canned tuna in olive oil, hard boiled eggs, diced tomatoes, some green olives, pickled vegetables, roasted peppers and yes, don’t run away, wusterls. They are the German or the Italian equivalent to the American hot dogs. Once you taste them sliced , cold and combined with all the other goodies, you’ll be forever hooked, because I strongly, believe, one cannot always feed on balsamic reductions.

In the end the whole thing gets dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper, a sprinkle
of chopped parsley, some basil, parmesan slivers and if you feel frisky also with a couple of spoons of good mayonnaise. It’s best to let it rest it in the fridge for at least an hour to combine all the flavors but a full stop overnight makes it even better.

Of course as you can imagine, the variation are many. You can boil the rice with aromatics or saffron to get a flavor kick, change the rice to a black or a red rice, add all sorts of ingredients like shrimps or swordfish or humble chicken or substitute the wurstel for a cured fancy salame or prosciutto, but who has time or the will to go to Brooklyn and run in one more bearded artisanal butcher.  Besides I love the original recipe too much to change it.

I made the insalata di riso, in less the 25 minutes, if you are smart and organized you can chop all the ingredients while the rice is cooking and cook the eggs in the rice water during the last 10 minutes .

lazy-dinner-silvia-baldini-rice

I also poached some sweet cherries in red wine, then since I cannot help myself, I made a vanilla budino. It was a great meal,  everybody was happy and my kids kicked my derriere at badminton.  I posted the pictures on facebook and instagram and this morning I was inundated with requests for the recipe, so here it is.

I hope you have a great lazy and tasty 4th of July and for once don’t spend too much time in the kitchen.

Insalata Di Riso-Rice Salad
Yum
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 people 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour plus
Servings Prep Time
8 people 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour plus
Insalata Di Riso-Rice Salad
Yum
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 people 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour plus
Servings Prep Time
8 people 25 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 1 hour plus
Ingredients
  • 3 cups rice arborio
  • 1 cup peas frozen work well
  • 1 can tuna olive oli drained, broken in to chunks
  • 4 medium/large eggs
  • 1 medium tomato diced
  • 1/2 cup green olives pitted
  • 2 roasted peppers diced
  • 1/2 cup pickled vegetables
  • 4 hot dogs
  • 1/2 cup parmesan slivers diced fontina or pecorino are good substitute
  • 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
  • 6 leaves basil teared in small pieces
  • 1 medium lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise optional
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Boil the rice in salted water for 15 minutes, add the peas during the last 7 minutes. Drain well and rinse in cold water. Reserve in a large bowl. Meanwhile cook the eggs for 9/10 minutes till hardboiled. Peel and cut in to eights. Cook the hot dogs for a couple of minutes in boiling water, then drain and slice in small rounds. Add the tuna, the tomatoes, the olives, the peppers, the pickled vegetables, the sliced hot dogs, the parmesan to the rice. Dress the salad with the olive oil, lemon salt pepper and mayonnaise if using. Add the chopped herbs mix well, and lastly add the eggs. Cover with film and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Overnight is better.
Share this Recipe
Continue Reading