THE CANNY COOK RISI E BISI (RICE AND PEAS)
LOWER YOUR FOOD BILLS AND STILL EAT WELL WITH FOOD EDITOR ELEANOR MAIDMENT A classic Venetian dish that celebrates spring
April is such a pivotal month in the food calendar. It’s when we finally say goodbye to all the roots and brassicas that have sustained us through winter and begin to notice the verdant shoots and leaves of spring – spinach, round lettuce, rocket – popping up on our supermarket shelves. It’s an inspirational, invigorating time of year to be in the kitchen.
I’ve been looking to sunnier climes and continue this week’s Italian theme with one of my
New-season peas when plucked from the pod are small and sweet
favourite spring dishes, risi e bisi. Like many of the best Italian recipes it is humble at heart but sings with flavour. It is typically served in Venice to celebrate the new season’s peas which, when plucked from the pod, are small and sweet. We probably won’t see the first of this country’s fresh podded garden peas for a few weeks, but when they are available make sure to save the pods and add to the pan of stock, letting them infuse over a low heat for 10 minutes or so. When fresh peas aren’t around (or when, following the Venetians’ rule, they are no longer the first of the season), frozen peas do a perfectly good job of adding a mellow sweetness to the dish.
There’s so much to celebrate about spring so enjoy those cooking changes and indulge in new-season delights.
METHOD
Heat 1 tbsp oil olive oil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add 1 finely chopped onion along with a pinch of salt and fry for 5 minutes until starting to soften. vegetable stock to a gentle simmer.
Add the pancetta to the pan with the onion and fry for 5 minutes more until starting to take on a little colour, then add the rice and stir over the heat for 2 minutes.
Risi e bisi is cooked like a risotto, though the final dish should be somewhere between that and a soup. Stir in the
stock a ladleful at a time, simmering until it is almost absorbed (20-25 mins in total). With the last ladle of stock, add the peas and cook until the rice is just tender with a little bite. Remember: it should be a little bit soupy and wet, so add a splash of water if needed.
Take off the heat and stir in the cheese. Serve with a little parsley scattered over, if you like.