Friday, September 14, 2007

Italian Rice & Peas

Italian Rice & Peas or better known as "Risi e Bisi" is a dish that I want to perfect and came across an interesting recipe when doing some investigating. Risi e Bisi is basically a risotto made with peas, but the recipe I came across uses broth made from the pea pods. I love recipes that utilize every part of an ingredient!
For those of you, who have never made risotto before, it is a rice dish made with a risotto rice (Arborio is the variety most popular in supermarkets here) that is constantly stirred with gradually adding small amounts of broth. The result is a very creamy rice dish that is incredible, especially when made with a complexity of flavours absorbed into the rice.
Needless to say, I did make a version of Risi e Bisi, but it needs more work. The broth from the pods was good but was somewhat bitter on its own, and afterwards felt like the rice could have benefited by starting with a cup of white wine with a touch of sweetness like a Gewurztraminer or a Riesling. Nevertheless, I will experiment some more in the spring with a fresh batch of peas... as unfortunately fresh peas are very difficult or next to impossible to find this time of the year!

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