I found spinach risotto a few years in the past at a cocktail party in Venice. Our host, a genial fellow named Giorgio, was chatting me up, so I adopted him into the kitchen and watched as he chopped and sautéd and ladled and stirred. Distracted by his attraction, I didn’t know what he was making till he introduced the dish to the desk. ‘Risotto agli spinaci’, he introduced with a flourish. One earthy, creamy, tangy mouthful and I used to be in heaven. Pure bliss.
Risotto aux épinards / Spinach risotto
Was it the atmosphere that made that night so particular? This was again in 1981 throughout the Carnevale, a magical time what with mist rising off the canals and masked Venetians saluting one another within the city’s bars and squares. When the faces weren’t masked, they seemed straight out of the sixteenth century portraits within the Accademia. You possibly can flip a nook and listen to somebody singing an aria by means of an open window. Nureyev was acting at La Fenice, and with luck you may run into him at a nook cafe. All senses had been heightened. So tasting Giorgio’s spectacular risotto solely added to my temper of intoxication.
The subsequent morning I phoned him as much as ask for the recipe. What was the key? The components had been easy — onion, spinach, rice, wine, broth, butter and parmesan — and but they mixed to supply a sublimely refined dish. Giorgio mentioned he’d get again to me, nevertheless it took him a few months to oblige. By that point I used to be again in Paris and had virtually forgotten about risotto. Then a letter arrived within the submit.
The letter was divided into sections. Between Half I (‘Political’) and Half IV (‘Private’) got here Half III (‘Recipe for the risotto’). It known as for well-cleaned spinach, rice (‘two handfuls per particular person’) and famous that the risotto have to be thick — ‘it’s not a soup, one should have the ability to eat it with a fork’. I purchased the components, got here house and made it. Success.
Shortly after receiving Giorgio’s letter, I discovered that I’ve household roots in sixteenth century Venice, which may assist clarify why I took such a liking to risotto. It’s a signature dish of Venice and is available in many different varieties, the most effective of which is made with the ink of a squid. On this web site you will discover recipes for risotto with radicchio, asparagus and peas, saffron, morel mushrooms, pumpkin and thyme, lobster and wild mushrooms.
I owe this all to Giorgio. I by no means noticed him once more, but I’ve saved his letter all these years. His closing phrases had been very touching. ‘For sure, I’d wish to see you,’ he wrote, ‘and need it may very well be quickly. Who is aware of? Handle your self. Be kissed. Giorgio.’
Completely happy cooking.
