Ohkeeee… we really didn’t see this way of making risotto coming
Last week I watched one of the episodes of the series Gino’s Italian Express by Italian chef Gino de Campo. During the series, he travels all over Italy in search of traditional dishes and how they are prepared. On his trip, he also visits the rice-growing region of Mantova. There, he visits a risotto festival where they prepare risotto in a very unusual way…
We previously put together a careful step-by-step guide for making the perfect risotto. First sauté the rice, then add the stock low and slow, little by little, and above all keep stirring calmly (and with lots of patience). Only then will you get that creamy texture that characterizes the Italian dish. But at the rice festival in Mantava, the Italians do things completely differently.
Unusual way of making risotto
The rice masters make large quantities of risotto at the festival. Here, the rice is cooked separately from the sauce in water, so that the grains do not stick together. The sauce is made separately with pork, salt, butter, garlic and Parmesan. Once everything is ready, the chefs mix it all together.
Creamy vs airy
Quite a special method, which we had never seen before. While risotto made the ‘usual’ way spreads across the plate and the consistency is almost mushy, this version is particularly airy and is not surrounded by a soft sauce — probably also the reason they can prepare it this way. And, honestly, the dish looked so delicious that we are definitely going to try making it at home sometime. How about you?
Read also:
- How to: reheat risotto
- Recipe for an insanely delicious lemon risotto
- 6 facts, myths and top tips about risotto
