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10/02/2004 Archived Entry: "Risotto alla Salernitana"

One of the several things I am doing while not on the radio is teaching. Last week, I had a class at A La Carte, the school in Lynbrook, and I am repeating it this week, October 6, Wednesday. Sorry, the class is full. The second section was arranged to accommodate some spillover from the first class. And if there is interest, I would be happy to repeat the class again. Call A La Carte at (516) 599-2922 if you are interested. We can set up yet another date. What I am doing is, so to speak, bringing Tenuta Seliano to Lynbrook. I’m showing slides, telling stories about, and demonstrating a few recipes from the program I do in Italy with Cecilia Baratta -- la baronessa Bellelli– on her water buffalo farm. Although some of the recipes I teach in Italy were published in Naples at Table, my cookbook, there are many now that we have had added from Cecilia’s personal repertoire.

This brings me to risotto, which is not a southern Italian dish. Risotto is a dish of the north. Rice is grown in the north -- in the Veneto, in Lombardia, and in Piemonte – and that’s why risotto is a specialty of the north. A Neapolitan (or Salernitano), the saying goes, would never miss rice if he didn’t have it, even though there are a few rice dishes in the cuisine – namely arancini (fried rice balls), and a casserole called sartu, which has rice as a sort of crust around a filling of all kinds of goodies.

In the last 20 years, however, risotto has gained popularity all over Italy. I cannot say that it is made at home everywhere in the south, but certainly you can find it in fine restaurants from Rome through Sicily. Cecilia makes a risotto that incorporates mozzarella, which is an ingredient of the south – indeed, buffalo mozzarella is the most famous product of the Sele plain where she farms and lives. This recipe is really her adaptation of a boiled rice dish that, indeed, would be made in the south. To make the boiled rice richer and creamier, home cooks would stir in eggs at the last minute. Even though it is technically not necessary to do that with an already creamy risotto, Cecilia does it anyway. Besides the mozzarella, the risotto is also flavored with minced prosciutto. You could use a good dried sausage or soppressata instead.

This recipe is not published anywhere.

Risotto alla Salernitana
(Risotto with Mozzarella and Prosciutto)
Serves 4 to 6

5 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely minced
2 cups Italian rice – Arborio, Vialone Nano, or Carnaroli
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 ounces prosciutto, cut into 1/8-inch cubes
8 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Freshly ground black pepper and salt
2 eggs, beaten with salt and pepper
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano, or pecorino, or a mixture

Keep the broth in a small saucepan over low heat.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes, until the grains become white and opaque.

Add the white wine. It should sizzle instantly. Stir and cook until the wine is nearly evaporated.

Add enough broth to cover the rice. Stir and cook until the top of the rice is dry. Stir again, then add enough more broth to again cover the rice.

Continue cooking the rice at a brisk simmer, stirring in broth as needed, until the rice is still the tiniest bit firm.

Stir in the prosciutto and mozzarella.

Season with pepper and check for salt. (I like this dish somewhat heavy on the black pepper. It’s a good dish to add fragrant black pepper to at the table.)

Remove from the heat and stir in the beaten eggs, stirring well to incorporate.

Serve immediately, with grated cheese. (If desired, stir in some grated cheese before serving.)