Italian rice

Risotto – a gift of colonialism

The veil of times gone by covers a big part of the history of riziculture in Italy, but some facts are known. The Romans knew rice, but they cultivated it for medicinal purposes only, not as a food grain. The Arabian invasion of parts of Europe established rice fields early on in Spain and Sicily. They were exporting rice from the fertile island Sicily already during the tenth century. During following centuries the popularity of rice grew among the wealthy owing to the exorbitant prices of the product.

In the 15^th century budding capitalists invested heavily into the clearing of the Lombardy plains in northern Italy to grow rice there. The flat lands, abundance of water and humidity, especially in the Po Valley, provided the perfect environment for this crop. The growing towns of Venice, Milan and Ferrara made this a hugely profitable investment. Unfortunately, only the capitalists profited from this development. The workers, many of them children, were practically kept as slaves.

During the centuries rice became a staple in this part of Italy. The cooking technique of risotto was invented some time along the way. The most famous of all the risotto recipes is undoubtedly the risotto alla Milanese. This goes back to the year 1574. The magnificent Gothic cathedral, the duomo of Milano, was being built. A young apprentice named Valerius was responsible for colouring the glass windows. Because he had obtained a brilliant yellow colour, everybody joked that he had used saffron for the glass. Tired of the teasing, he added saffron to the risotto which was served at his master’s wedding. The rice tasted so good, that saffron remains the essential ingredient of risotto alla Milanese.

Even today the fields flooded for rice characterise the countryside only a few minutes away from downtown Milan. Growing rice relied heavily on cheap labour until the 1960s when machines took over the harvesting. Before, thousands of women called mondine left their homes in Emilia and Veneto to go to work in the rice fields.

They became a legendary sight in northern Italy. For eight hours, they worked barefoot in the water, protected from the sun by large straw hats. Dressed in short pants and long sleeves, they slowly walked backward, bending toward the ground to pick up weeds that infested the rice fields. Famous are the melodies they sang—about their tough days, their resentment for their supervisors, and about love and their homes far away.

The dramatic neo-realistic movie “Riso Amaro” (“Bitter Rice”), produced by Dino De Laurentiis in 1950, revolves around the lives of the mondine, starring his later wife, the great Italian actress Silvana Mangano.

Mushroom Risotto

Dear all, 

 

You absolutely need imported Italian rice to make a proper risotto. I have tried cooking risotto with Indian rice but it does not work. Indian rice does not give the velvety texture of a risotto; it turns into a mush.

Only the high starch content of the Italian rice delivers the proper texture of risotto. Actually there are three different varieties of Italian rice which are used for risotto: Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialone Nano. Occasionally you see Carnaroli rice for sale in India. Mostly I find Arborio rice in my favourite supermarket which is fine for risotto. Arborio rice is named after the town of Arborio in the Po Valley, where it is grown. During cooking these rounded grains remain firm releasing their starches slowly to form a smooth cream.

Risotto is easy to cook, but you have to follow some simple rules to succeed. Most important is to avoid washing the rice as this would flush away some of the starch you need for your risotto. You use your Arborio straight from the packet. Very important is also to have a good stock. I usually take the liquid left over when boiling beef filet or silver roll in the pressure cooker. You can use any kind of stock you fancy, but don’t try to cook risotto with water.

Risotto belongs to the dishes with endless variations. The procedure remains the same. First the rice is cooked briefly in butter or olive oil to coat each grain in a film of fat, called tostatura. Then liquid is added until the rice is almost cooked. At that point it is taken off the heat for the mantecatura: diced cold butter and finely grated Parmigiano or Grana cheese are vigorously stirred in to make the texture as creamy and smooth as possible. If the risotto contains fish or other seafood you don’t add cheese.

The mushroom risotto I present here is a simplified version of the traditional recipe. I cook all the vegetables and the rice together, instead of sautéing the mushrooms separately. In this way the white button mushrooms lend their full flavour to the rice. Be careful not to overcook the risotto. It should not turn into a stiff cream, but flow gently onto the plate.  My son loves this mushroom risotto, that’s why I cook it regularly in my kitchen. It is a perfect dish for a rainy monsoon day.

Wishing you happy cooking always!

Kornelia Santoro with family

Mushroom Risotto 

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 5 medium onions
• 2 packets white button mushrooms (or any other mushroom you like or find)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch parsley
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 cups stock
• 50 grams grated Parmigiano or Grana cheese

Method:

Peel the onions and chop them finely. I use a food processor for this. Peel the mushrooms and rinse them quickly under running water. Never keep mushrooms in a bowl of water, they will soak up the liquid and turn soggy. Wash the parsley and chop it finely.

Heat the olive oil in a pan with high walls. Fry the onions on low heat until they turn translucent, and then add the rice without washing it. Keep on stirring for about two minutes until the rice is evenly coated with the oil-onion mixture.

Add the first cup of stock and rise the temperature to medium. Keep on stirring until the liquid bubbles, and then add the second cup of stock. Some chefs recommend heating the stock, but I keep on forgetting this. In my kitchen cold stock works just as well, it just takes a little longer. When the rice mixture turns thick, add the third cup of stock.

Slice your mushrooms and add them to the risotto. Keep on incorporating the liquid until you have used all the stock. At this point I have to tell you a secret. Most times I go against the rules and add all my stock in the beginning. I let it simmer for about five minutes before I incorporate the mushrooms. However, this is not the proper way to do it (although I have never noticed any difference). A risotto cooked in this way would probably not satisfy a real chef. My men never complained.

All in all the risotto takes 18 to 20 minutes for cooking. During this time you have to keep on stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Shortly before the end of the cooking time, add the chopped parsley. You can keep a bit of parsley to decorate the risotto when you serve it. Once the grains are soft but still have a bit of bite, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the butter which you have diced. Then add half of the grated cheese and stir until your risotto has a rich, creamy texture. It should flow but not ooze out excess liquid.

Serve it immediately with the rest of the grated cheese. Enjoy!

Seafood Risotto

Dear all,   We love Seafood Risotto. Few dishes combine healthy ingredients in such a fabulous way. Although preparing it requires quite a bit of vegetable chopping and cleaning, I don’t mind. It also needs regular stirring but this can turn into a meditative experience. While I am standing at the stove cooking the risotto I am looking forward to a meal that leaves me satisfied on many levels. First of all it tastes great. Then it gives us a hefty amount of the precious omega 3 oils, not to mention all the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients from the vegetables. To keep it simple, I restrain my use of seafood to squids and prawns. A traditional Seafood Risotto however, sports any kind of mussels, shellfish and fish. If you feel adventurous, add what you like. You just have to know the cooking time or method of your seafood. If you want to include mussels, for example, clean them and fry them in a pan with a little bit of oil. Toss the opened mussels into the risotto at the end of the cooking time (discard the mussels which stay closed). If you wish to incorporate fish, clean it and cut it into bite sized pieces. Add them to the risotto about five minutes before the rice is cooked. There is one setback about preparing this dish though: You absolutely need Italian rice to cook a proper risotto. No other rice will give you the creamy texture of Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice. Seafood Risotto   Ingredients (for 4 servings): 300 grams prawns 1 cup rice 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 1 green bell pepper 2 stalks celery (about 1 cup when chopped) 1 bundle spring onions 3 garlic cloves 1 packet tomato puree (200 ml) 4 tablespoons olive oil salt pepper 2 ½ cups cooking liquid Method: Skin and clean the squids from their insides. You can get this done by your fishmonger. You can also use frozen squids, just give them time to defrost. Cut them into bite-sized pieces. Clean the prawns. Make sure to remove their intestines by cutting along their spine and pulling out the dark strings. You can also use frozen prawns. Just thaw them before cooking and make sure they are properly deveined. Clean all the vegetables and cut them into cubes. Crush the garlic cloves. Remember that onions and garlic need about ten minutes of fresh air to fully develop their healthy properties. When everything is prepped, you can start cooking. Italian rice for risotto needs about 18 minutes to be done. Keep this in mind, when you want to incorporate different kinds of seafood. Pour the olive oil into a medium sized pot with a heavy bottom. The bottom is important because you need the heat to be distributed evenly. When the oil is hot, add the spring onions and the celery. Let them sizzle for around two minutes, and then add the squids and the garlic. Give it a good stir, and adjoin the rice. Mix everything together, then add one cup of water. You could also use fish stock if you have any good one, or chicken stock. Wait until the liquid bubbles and the rice has soaked up some. Then add another cup of liquid. When this has bubbled away for some minutes, incorporate the tomato puree. Again, wait that the risotto reaches bubbling temperature again. You don’t want the cooking temperature drop too much by adding all the liquid at once. However, you don’t need a ferocious bubbling in your pot. A gentle simmering is all that is required to cook the rice nicely. Then add the last half-cup of liquid. About seven to eight minutes before the rice is done incorporate the bell peppers. You don’t want to soften them completely. They should have a little crunch left. At the end of the cooking time, add the prawns. Now season the risotto with salt and pepper according to your taste. Stir the risotto until the prawns have changed colour and turned opaque. Be careful not to overcook the risotto. It should not turn into a stiff cream, but flow gently onto the plate. If you want some zing in your risotto, add some fresh chopped chillies at the beginning of the cooking time. Risotto – a gift of colonialism The veil of times gone by covers a big part of the history of riziculture in Italy, but some facts are known. The Romans knew rice, but they cultivated it for medicinal purposes only, not as a food grain. The Arabian invasion of parts of Europe established rice fields early on in Spain and Sicily. They were exporting rice from the fertile island Sicily already in the tenth century. During following centuries the popularity of rice grew among the wealthy owing to the exorbitant prices of the product. In the 15th century, clever merchants invested heavily into the clearing of the Lombardy plains in northern Italy to grow rice there. The flat lands, abundance of water and humidity, especially in the Po Valley, provided the perfect environment for this crop. The growing towns of Venice, Milan and Ferrara made huge profits. Unfortunately, only the investors profited from this development. The workers, many of them children, were kept as slaves. During the centuries, rice became a staple in this part of Italy. The cooking technique of risotto was invented some time along the way. The most famous of all the risotto recipes is undoubtedly the Risotto alla Milanese. This recipe goes back to the year 1574. The magnificent Gothic cathedral, the Duomo of Milano, was being built. A young apprentice named Valerius was responsible for colouring the glass windows. Because he had obtained a brilliant yellow colour, everybody joked that he had used saffron for the glass. Tired of the teasing, he added saffron to the risotto, which was served at his master’s wedding. The rice tasted so good that saffron remains the essential ingredient of risotto alla Milanese. Even today the fields flooded for rice characterise the countryside only a few minutes away from downtown Milan. Growing rice relied heavily on cheap labour until the 1960s when machines took over the harvesting. Before, thousands of women called mondine left their homes in Emilia and Veneto to work in the rice fields. They became a legendary sight in northern Italy. For eight hours, they worked barefoot in the water, protected from the sun by large straw hats. Dressed in short pants and long sleeves, they slowly walked backward, bending toward the ground to pick up weeds that infested the rice fields. Famous are the melodies they sang—about their tough days and about love and their homes far away. The dramatic Neo-Realistic movie “Riso Amaro” (“Bitter Rice”), produced by Dino De Laurentiis in 1950, revolves around the lives of the mondine, starring his later wife, the actress Silvana Mangano. More recipes at Kornelia's Kitchen Sign up for my monthly newsletter