This is a veritable celebration of color, made with freshly picked vegetables, which are added at the end to avoid altering their fresh and delicate taste. This risotto is truly an ode to spring. Arrigo Cipriani knew that all too well, the man who practically invented it and made it one of the specialties at Harry’s Bar in Venice. I’ve never been a great fan of rice. I married a Milanese man who, of course, is obsessed with it, and we always descend into the same debate: I tell him that in my house we ate rice when we were sick and he tells me that it is no wonder because I’m from the South, and he’s probably right. However, amidst the laughter and sneers of the whole family in Milan, I’ve learned to make an “ok” risotto over the years and I have also learned to appreciate it. And, I must – grudgingly – admit that I love this risotto.
FOR 4 PEOPLE
1 bunch asparagus
2 small baby carrots, diced
2 zucchini, diced
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 spring onion, chopped
1 ¾ cups Vialone Nano (or Carnaroli rice)
1 cup dry white wine
About 4 cups vegetable stock (recipe page 17)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley for serving
Cut off the tips of the asapargus and break the most tender part of the stems into small pieces.
Heat a little oil in a large skillet. Sauté the asparagus, carrots, and zucchini until they soften but do not darken in color. It should take around 10 minutes.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot and sauté the spring onion until it becomes transparent.
At this point, add the rice and stir until each grain is coated in oil and then add the white wine and simmer until reduced. Start adding the stock gradually as it is absorbed. When the rice is half cooked, toss in the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then cook, adding additional stock little by little.
Take the risotto off the heat when it is still al dente and serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley on top.
If you want to do something pissera, as they say in Florence (that is, a little over the top), garnish the dish with edible flowers, such as rosemary, borage, or calendula.
Recipe courtesy of Vegano Italiano
Vegano Italiano by Rosalba Gioffré is published by Countryman Press, £20.00, https://wwnorton.co.uk/books/9781682680544-vegano-italiano
