Taste & Create has come round again already, and I haven’t even posted anything since last time! This time it’s a different kind of challenge: Nicole emailed me to say my partner’s blog is entirely in Italian! I should have guessed from the title … Ma che ti sei mangiato.
Still, since I know French, Latin, and a smidgin of Spanish, and I’ve been to Italy a couple of times, how difficult could it be? I love Italian food, so I have a pretty good vocabulary of food items, and I can usually understand the gist of what Italians are saying to me once I’m fortified with a couple of glasses of wine. So I set forth to explore.
Honestly, with the aid of the photos there were loads of recipes that appealed to me enough to make the effort to understand them (a little Babelfish was required here and there). But I decided to start with a really simple one for which I fortuitously had all the ingredients: leek risotto. It was simplicity itself to make, and I liked the result, even if Steve wasn’t so keen (he thought it was too sweet, but I think I reduced the wine a bit too much). Sorry about the photos, risotto just isn’t photogenic, but it tasted good! Look for at least a couple more recipes from Rosella soon, and thank you Nicole for the introduction!
My translation of Rosella’s recipe:
For two greedy people:
200 g arborio or carnaroli rice
1 large leek
A splash of white wine (I used about 10cl)
Extra-virgin olive oil
A little Asiago (this is a kind of hard cheese; I used Parmesan)
Crema di Montepulciano — I had to google this. Naturally I didn’t have any, so as suggested in the recipe I made a reduction of 2 glasses of red wine and 2 tbs honey. I would use a little less honey and reduce it less next time.
About 700 ml vegetable stock (I’m afraid I used Marigold; normally I would make risotto with home-made chicken or vegetable stock)
Trim, clean and slice the leek, and saute gently in a little olive oil. Add a little stock as it softens; don’t let it brown. When the stock has reduced to almost nothing, stir in the rice. Add the wine and reduce. Cook as normal for a risotto, stirring in the stock about a ladleful at a time and wating for each lot to be absorbed. Meanwhile put honey and red wine in a pan and reduce rapidly to a syrupy consistency.
When the risotto is ready, stir in a small amount of grated Parmesan or Asiago. Ladle the risotto into bowls and drizzle with the reduced wine. Serve immediately.
Perfect translation. And great solution for the crema di Montepulciano. I’ve just read your comment, now I’m looking more in depth to your blog
Thanks Rossella! My risottos are normally heavily laden with butter and cheese, so this is a great healthy alternative — I had no idea it could be so nice without the butter 🙂
I almost never use butter. I usually use creme fraiche or cheese. Soon I publish one of the best risotto: risotto with pears and gorgonzola. Maybe it isn’t healthy but with risotto with melone one of my favourites.
I’m looking to your blog and I’m still uncertainty on what to try. Everything sounds so interesting
oooh! I’ve had pizza with pear and gorgonzola (in Italy) but risotto … wow! And risotto with melon sounds intriguing too.
I’ve just posted the recipe of Risotto with Melon.