This chapter on risotto has been an exceptional experience for me. Both of the risottos that I have drawn in the recipe lotto would not have been first choices for me, but to my surprise once I made them they both have really appealed to me, so much so, that I am sure that I will be making them again and again.
This recipe started with some garlic and pancetta sautéing in some butter. Rosemary and sage were added and stirred in. Once the garlic was golden brown, ground chuck was added and browned. Then the secret ingredient is added…the Barolo wine. I am not used to cooking with a 40 dollar bottle, and I did have some trepidation about this, but once I added it and the smell filled the air, I really understood Marcella’s insistence that it had to be Barolo wine for this risotto. Once the wine had cooked down, the Carnoroli rice was added. Then the risotto was cooked as usual with beef broth until it was almost finished. At the end a small amount of wine was added and cooked in. The risotto was taken off of the heat and butter and parmigiano-reggiano was added.

Michael’s took a bite of this and groaned in appreciation. He then said, “that is what I am talking about!” It was a complex flavor, with rosemary as the predominate top note. As we savored each bite, the other ingredients could be discerned one by one, but the totality of the experience was amazing. It was made better, by finishing off the bottle of wine while we ate. A very nice Saturday night dinner!