Italy: top European Risotto producer

Italy is well-known for being the land where risotto was invented. But maybe many people don’t know it is the top European producer!

Mostly concentrated in northern Italy between Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto region, many towns host rice fields: they are an enchanting vision for those who accidentally pass by. These towns are now associated in the so-called “Città del riso” (rice cities) and keep all the history and traditions linked to rice.

Milanese risotto is probably the most famous, but another type of risotto is as delicious: Panissa. Typical of Vercelli, Novara and south-western Lombardy, this is a risotto whose ingredients have been gradually personalized.

The Panissa from Vercelli is made of: 

• Arborio or Baldo rice;
• beans;
• onion;
• lard;
• “salam d’la duja” (a particular type of salami);
• Barbera red wine. 

The Novara version adds Savoy cabbage, carrots, celery and pork rind. The Lombard one doesn’t include beans, but adds a sprinkle of Grana. But, let’s follow the Vercelli recipe. 

Sauté the onion until golden. Add salami, or another type of sausage, and when cooked, toast rice a bit. Gradually pour some vegetable broth. When rice is half-cooked, add beans. Let everything cook until rice is well-cooked and broth has evaporated, leaving a creamy result.

Sources

cittadelriso.it - Terre d'acqua, terre speciali: ecco perchè
cittadelriso.it - I piccoli comuni protagonisti
it.wikipedia.org - Panissa (gastronomia piemontese)
blog.giallozafferano.it - Panissa vercellese