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 | Not for us, at least not yet, though the weatherpersons have told us to expect it on Saturday -- for now the Adriatic coast, from Rimini south to Puglia, has gotten blanketed, and there's snow in Sicily too, as well as (of course) snow in northern Italy. When it gets like this calories are our friends, and a corona di riso, like this, from the latest issue of Cosa Bolle in Pentola, will be very nice indeed:
...This rich golden sformato di riso will be quite nice. If you set it in a ring mold, it could also double as a container for a thick stew, though you may want to just leave it as a ring, because it is pretty. - 3 cups (600 g, or 1 1/3 pounds) carnaroli or other short-grained rice, for example arborio or vialone nano
- 1/2 pound (212 g) smoked scamorza cheese (scamorza is similar to young caciocavallo, but a touch creamier), diced
- 1/2 pound (212 g) sliced speck
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups (120 g) freshly grated Parmigiano or Grana Padano
- 1 healthy pinch of saffron, steeped in a quarter cup of the hot broth
- 1 quart (1 l) vegetable broth, simmering
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat the butter in a broad pot and toast the rice for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Gradually add the saffron to the rice, and when the rice has absorbed the liquid add the remaining broth and simmer for 10 minutes, without stirring.
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
The rice will probably not absorb all the liquid; drain away most of it, and put the rice into a fairly large bowl. Season it with the diced scamorza, the grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
Line a ring mold whose size is proportionate to that of the rice (ideally a springform pan) with the speck, arranging the pieces so they make a spiraling pattern. Fill the mold with the rice, pressing down to compact it well, and bake it for 15 minutes.
Upon removing the rice from the oven, cover the mold with a serving plate, and flip the mod and the plate together. Lift away the mold, leaving the corona on the serving plate, and serve at once.
Serves 8-10 | |
The Holidays Approach!
The Holidays are rapidly nearing, and it's time to begin to plan. Assuming you are Christian, in some parts of Italy this means visiting the fishmonger to arrange the Cena della Vigilia, a meatless Christmas Eve banquet, but not everywhere -- In Tuscany, for example, most people go to Midnight Mass, and enjoy a festive meal on Christmas Day. Some menus...
| When it's this Cold...
You suddenly understand why the Swedes make (and drink) something called glogg (a richer recipe here) -- it's a spiced mulled fortified wine, and it makes life much rosier when the fingers are turning blue. Italy has some similar drinks, enjoyed in the Alps:
| Another Wine For Fish
Ribolla Gialla is one of the traditional grapes (and wines) of Friuli Venezia Giulia: I tasted all I could find at Vinitaly this year, and found them to be pleasingly fresh, a characteristic that will make them perfect with a Seven Fishes dinner.
| Christmas Breads Around the World
As Barbara Rolek, our Guide to Eastern European food, notes, "Ritual breads are featured at every important occasion in Eastern Europe and around the world, especially at Christmas time and Easter." She has assembled a very nice collection of Christmas breads from all over, and you're certain to find something (or even many things) to whet your fancy.
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