Springtime Risotto

Springtime Risotto, with seasonal vegetables, baby peas with pods and asparagus. Edible violet petals add fresh spring touch to this dish. Chef tip: use authentic Italian Carnaroli rice, rich in starch and not sticky.

240 grams of Carnaroli rice, authentic
1 liter of vegetable broth
1-2 onions, red, sweet
100 grams of green peas, unshelled
4 green peas, baby with pods
4 asparagus
10 grams of lemon, salted
4 edible flowers, violet petals
40 grams of extra virgin olive oil (EVO)
1 pinch of cumin, black (Nigella sativa)
70 grams of cheese, grated
4 pinches of butterhead lettuce, crunchy spring salad

Chop the onion in 4, let it wilt in a pan with 20 gr of olive oil and set burner on low. Add rice and toast it until it becomes translucent.

Prepare a peas and asparagus juice with a centrifugal juicer, keep aside the asparagus tips and a dozen peas for decoration.

At the same time start cooking the rice with the vegetable broth, one ladleful at a time until it gets absorbed: after 12 minutes, with the last ladle of broth, add vegetables centrifugal juice, then remove from heat and stir in the remaining oil and cheese.

Let it rest for 3 minutes, and once on the plate decorate it with baby pea pods thinly sliced, raw peas, asparagus tips, crunchy salads, salted lemons (to counterbalance the sweetness of the vegetables), violets and nigella sativa, which holds the characteristic aroma of oregano.

Cesare Battisti – Chef Ambassador of Expo 2015