This Dish Is the Secret Weapon of Italian Cuisine
Italian cuisine is a cultural and culinary gem. Some dishes have been prepared in exactly the same way for hundreds of years, the regional and local variations of something as simple as blue cheese or ragù are too numerous to count on two hands, and every Italian gets rosy cheeks when talking about their mother’s cooking. This special regional dish is an absolute knockout—and bet you’ve never heard of it?
Traditionally, a lot of rice has been grown in Emilia-Romagna, so a lot of rice has been eaten there too. Women who worked in rice cultivation, for example weeding, were paid in sacks of rice. That’s how the wildest dishes with Arborio rice came about—the same rice used to make risotto.
Bomba di roso
This rice bomb is one of the stars of that particular local cuisine. It isn’t on the menu at many restaurants, but Vice reporter Giorgia Cannarella, Italian through and through, found a small restaurant that proudly features bomba di roso on its menu.
Have a light lunch, then go for that rice bomb
It’s a calorie bomb, Giorgia apologizes. Cooked, sticky rice is mixed with, for example, mushrooms, then wrapped in cheese and ham like a little timbale. You can imagine how filling that is. At Arrogant Pub, the reporter found a chef who offers the rice bomb in three varieties: filled with dried porcini, beef from Tyrol or venison. The rice ball isn’t just filled with all those delicious ingredients—it’s also served in a deep plate with a sauce made from those same ingredients.
Skip breakfast and have lunch with a cracker; otherwise, you’ll never be able to handle a bomba di roso. If you’re really hungry, Giorgia says it’s an incredible treat: deliciously sticky, soft and warm.
Each bite slowly sinks into your stomach
Want to make that bomba yourself? Mix cooked risotto rice (and yesterday’s leftovers work perfectly well) with cheese and butter. Line a small dish with slices of ham and cheese, spoon in the rice, fold it closed and bake the whole thing in the oven for half an hour at 180 to 200 degrees. Let it cool for ten minutes, remove it from the mold and place it in the sauce.
And then: good grief. “Every bite slowly descends into your stomach and makes you feel as if it’s going to stay there for hours,” says Giorgia. And you certainly won’t feel hungry for the next few hours.
Read also:
- Recipe: pumpkin risotto with fried mushrooms and roasted hazelnuts
- Italian dishes you’ll never, ever get in Italy
- Recipe: how to make real spaghetti carbonara like they do in Italy
Source: Vice
