La Dispensa- Rice
Italy is not just about pasta. Rice recipes exist all over Italy, both savory and sweet.
This month, for my La Dispensa article, I chose one of the staples in my pantry: rice.
As a child, my mom grew up in China, so I grew up eating more rice than potatoes at home. This made my father crazy. He was a meat and potatoes man. I love both.
Arriving in Italy, the land of pasta and pizza, I wasn’t expecting many rice dishes beyond the risotto I knew and loved.
Pasta and pizza are the first things most people think about when imagining Italian food. When you think of rice, the only dish that comes to mind might be risotto alla milanese and other risottos, but Italy has an extensive collection of rice dishes, not just in the north. More than 58% of Europe’s rice production comes from Northern Italy. The area from Piemonte to Veneto. It was first grown in the 1400s but was brought to Italy by the Arabs in the 1300s.
The rice preferred for risotto is Canaroli, Vialone Nano, and Arborio. These rice do not get rinsed before cooking, and their starchy layer provides the creaminess for the risotto.
I met Gabrielle Ferron while shopping at the Mercato Centrale in Florence. One of my favorite shops sold his rice from Isola della Scala, outside of Verona. We spoke, and he came back to my cooking school in front of the Mercato. We made a risotto like he does, no stirring.
Not surprisingly, Italians don’t always make recipes all the same. He told me that many people over-stir the risotto, break the rice kernels, or take too long to make it and make more of a porridge.
The culture of rice growing is fascinating. The rice was planted by women,le mondine.
A movie was made called Riso Amaro ( Bitter Rice), a 1949 neorealistic crime film.
I have found many new rice farmers in recent gourmet food shows.
There are also producers in Tuscany, just outside of Siena and also down in the area called Maremma. I hope to visit the Tenuta San Carlo soon, a 4th generation farm; the manager, Arianna Lotti, great-granddaughter of the original owner, was born and raised in the USA.
The area of Maremma was malaria-infected swamp lands in the past and has been turned into rich farmland.
Near Salerno, in the Campagna region of Italy, rice was grown in the 1400’s. Then it disappeared. Two hundred years later, rice is being grown again, a super large grain. Hera nei Campi are collaborating with a local university.
Rice in Recipes
Milano is famous for risotto alla milanese, made golden yellow with saffron.
Gualtiero Marchese created the most famous version. I was lucky enough to have taken a group to a cooking class and meal at the restaurant he had at the Relais Albereta. He passed away in 2017, but his recipes live on.
Edible gold is placed on just before serving. The saffron threads are left whole.
Another famous version is risotto al salto: left-over saffron risotto, pan fried until crisp.
When I arrived in Florence in 1984, most trattorias served Riso al Verde, a really creamy, cheesy rice with spinach. It was not risotto. It starts with boiled rice, and then the spinach sauce is put in a skillet. The rice is precooked and added to the sauce. They finish cooking the rice in the spinach and add cheese.
Pure comfort food! It’s easier than risotto for a party.
The other surprise in Florence was a breakfast pastry called Budino di riso, a delicious mini pie with a sweet rice filling.
At Carnevale, I always make the Frittelle di Riso, sweet fried rice fritters. They are addicting.
At a pastry shop they are often filled with a cream.
Florence also has a large Bomba di Riso, which is like a giant arancino from Sicily. You can only find these at home, not in a restaurant.
Both Rome and Tuscany make the Rice stuffed tomatoes, perfect in summer, served room temperature.
My favorite dish in Puglia is the Teglia. It is not a paella, but it is similar. The dish is layered with aromatics, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, and then opened mussels. Raw rice is layered on top and then reseasoned. It is baked and topped with sliced raw potatoes. When you are in Puglia, you can buy the water from the mussels and or fresh sea water to cook the dish.
The most famous street food in Sicily are the Arancini… made in various sizes, shapes and fillings.
I am including a lot of rice recipes this month as I can’t decide on just one.
Bomba di riso
Frittelle di riso
Tiella di riso
Torta Carrarina- A Custard and rice flan from Carrara
Non- stir risotto
Suppli- Roman street food. Mozzarella filled rice balls
Baked Rice Stuffed Tomatoes
I hope you enjoy the recipes. I of course also have Japanese rice to make sushi with and use a simple boiling rice, Ribes, for my Chinese cooking.
The first time I was invited to someone’s house in Florence for dinner, a fellow student, they make rice.
I had never seen anyone through rice into a ton of boiling water. I started to scream and was going to throw the excess ( to me) water away to save the dinner.
Luckily I learned, there is more than one way to cook rice.
I also learned to make a baked Pilaf from a friend from New Orleans, I loved the flavor the bay leaf imported to the rice and often use that trick.