A great traditional risotto recipe from the Veneto region, a ‘must’ to enjoy from December to April, when all the varieties of radicchio come into season.
Radicchio is becoming more and more popular in UK and as its popularity is growing so is its availability in markets and stores.
All varieties will work for this recipe, the very red and round shaped once are the cheapest but are very tasty indeed. The very best radicchio is Trevigiano Tardivo, which has longer leaves and is less red – it’s perfect for this dish, and also great in salads. Don’t confuse red endive with radicchio though, it’s completely different!
If you are a fan of stronger cheeses you will love this dish! Taleggio is a strong yet creamy cheese that goes very well with the bitterness of radicchio and the acid hint of the wine.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 hour
Categories: Starter/Main course
Ingredients
- 280 g of Riso Gallo Carnaroli rice
- 10 g of grated Grana Padano cheese
- 30 g of onion (finely chopped)
- 10 g of unsalted butter
- 100 gr of creamy Taleggio cheese roughly chopped
- 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock
- 100 ml of dry white wine
- 350 gr of radicchio (2 whole radicchios)
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic cloves
- 20 ml of red wine
- 20 ml of white wine vinegar
- 1 julienne of parsley as garnish
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Preparation
- Wash the radicchios and let them dry over a kitchen towel.
- Separate the outer bigger leaves from the core of each radicchio. Cut the very red leaves into “tagliatelle” and leave them in cold water overnight if possible to reduce the bitterness.
- Drain well and roast the radicchio in a large pan with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and the smashed garlic clove for a couple of minutes. Add the vinegar and the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Cool immediately.
- Cut the pale cores of radicchio very thinly and leave to one side.
- Gently fry the chopped onion in a small casserole with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt for about 10-15 minutes on low heat, until well golden and caramelised. Keep to one side.
- In a large casserole, start to roast the rice on a low heat with a pinch of salt, without adding oil or fat. In this way, the heat reaches the core of each rice grain resulting in more uniform al dente rice. Keep stirring the rice, so the rice does not catch on the bottom of the pan or burn. When the rice is very hot, pour the white wine in. Let the alcohol evaporate, set the cooking time to 15 minutes and add the simmering stock a ladle at a time, little by little. Stir the rice occasionally, and keep cooking.
- Halfway through the cooking, add the caramelised onion to the rice.
- Once the time is up, add the cooked radicchio to the risotto and taste. If you’re happy with the texture remove it from the heat.
- The next step is called “mantecatura” – with the right movements you can make the risotto creamier and increase its natural ooziness. Add the Taleggio cheese and butter to the rice. Stir with energy to incorporate extra air until the risotto is nice and creamy. Season to taste.
- Plate the hot risotto straight away and garnish with the thinly sliced raw radicchio, the parsley and a touch of grated Grana Padano cheese.
Recipe by Danilo Cortellini
For more information and recipes from Riso Gallo click here
We met chef Danilo Cortellini in Milan, we were there with Danilo to discover Italian rice. Danilo is passionate about Italian cooking and very kindly agreed to let us have a few of his favourite Italian recipes for our readership to enjoy trying out.
Danilo is Head Chef at the Italian Embassy in London and was a finalist in MasterChef the Professionals in 2015.
See more recipes from Danilo Cortellini and Riso Gallo recipes here