Gnocchi

Gnocchi dough

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

Gnocchi alla Bolognese

Gnocchi with four cheeses sauce

Gnocchi with cheese and almonds sauce

Gnocchi alla Vodka

Chestnut gnocchi

Difference between arborio and carnaroli rice

 The most crucial properties of a good risotto rice are high starch content and the ability to absorb liquid. Arborio rice has long been a traditional favorite and probably the best known rice for risotto-making. However, there are actually a number of superfino-grade Italian rices with the high starch content that gives risotto its characteristic creaminess. All these varieties have short, plump grains that are not only suitable for risotto, but which are arguably superior to Arborio.
In stirred rice dishes, such as risotto, some of the starch is released, and it is this extra starch that creates the smooth, creamy texture. The trick is to use a rice that will absorb the liquid added to it without breaking apart or sticking together, thus retaining its consistency.Carnaroli rice is an Italian variety that has short, plump grains like those of Arborio rice. Also, like Arborio rice, Carnaroli grains are high in starch content and, when cooked, have a creamy, saucelike consistency.Trendy Italians, always on the lookout for the latest culinary craze, currently prefer Carnaroli because of its firm grain.Vialone Nano is another favorite of this type. It has a medium grain, shorter and thicker than arborio, and is nearly impossible to overcook. Able to absorb more than twice its weight in liquid, Vialone Nano is perfect for creating a very hearty risotto. It also pairs nicely with fish, and is wonderful for making rice pudding.Me personally if I had just one rice to choose, it will be the Carnaroli…

CARNAROLI RICE: RISOTTO, HISTORY, ARBORIO VS CARNAROLI

Carnaroli rice is an Italian rice variety particularly known as suitable for the preparation of risotto, a typical Italian dish. Many people consider Carnaroli risotto the best risotto.
Ettore De Vecchi, a rice farmer, aimed to obtain a rice variety that was not too high (lower than that of Vialone), resistant to lodging and with good cooking resistance. To obtain the new variety, the work of a geneticist who worked with prof. Emiliano Carnaroli at the University of Milan and the work of prof. Carnaroli himself were of primary importance. But when was Carnaroli rice born? And where? Can we say more about the invention? And what are its properties, cooking time, calories and some recipes?  Can we use Carnaroli rice only for the risotto recipe? And is it better than Arborio to cook risotto? Let’s see!

HISTORY OF CARNAROLI: BIRTH, NAME, CONSERVATION OF THE VARIETY

When was Carnaroli rice born? How did it happen that it was given the name Carnaroli?
And who is responsible for its conservation?

The birth of Carnaroli rice
In 1945 Ettore De Vecchi, a rice grower, presented a new variety of rice: the Carnaroli.
Carnaroli rice was born in the rice fields around Paullo, near Milan.

Ettore De Vecchi worked for many years to obtain the new variety of rice, making crossings
in his fields of the Casello farm in Paullo.

The new variety was the result of the work not only of Ettore De Vecchi, but also of 
a breeder geneticist and of prof. Emiliano Carnaroli, with whom the geneticist
worked at the University of Milan.
Emiliano Carnaroli was a university professor of agricultural hydraulics; he collaborated
in numerous reclamation projects in Italy and was president of the Ente Nazionale Risi
(National Rice Authority). Perhaps he also personally helped financially the hybridizing
geneticist, who was working on the experiments and whom he considered very promising.
The new rice was born from the crossing of two varieties: the Vialone Nero – which had
 been discovered by grandfather Achille De Vecchi in 1903, when he resided in Vialone –
 and Lencino.

The name

Regarding the attribution of the name ‘Carnaroli’ to the new variety of rice, we found a
video, an interview with Mr. Achille De Vecchi. In the video, Mr. Achille De Vecchi says
that the water manager, whose surname was Carnaroli, every year used to see the
commitment of Ettore De Vecchi and the fact that he did not arrive at the desired result.
For this reason, he said: ‘Dutur, se fèm?’, that translates to ‘Doctor, what do we do?’
(here the term ‘doctor’ is not intended as title for a person holding a doctor’s degree
in medicine, but generically as a title for person who has graduated).
Ettore De Vecchi told him to be patient, and that if he could obtain the variety he had
in mind he would give it his name.

The patent and the conservation of the Carnaroli rice
variety

With the death of Ettore De Vecchi the patent of the Carnaroli variety passed to his cousin
Achille De Vecchi, born in Milan in 1939.
Later, the De Vecchi family abandoned the production of rice, and Achille De Vecchi in 1983
gave the plant material in his possession to the Ente Nazionale Risi, so that the latter
continued in conservative selection.
Since then, the Ente Nazionale Risi is the conservator of Carnaroli rice in purity.

Desserts

Amaretto and chocolate mousse

Amaretto Cheese cake

Alfajores Argentinos (Argentinian cookies recipe)

Apple cake

Bailey's Semifreddo

Brioche (Italian pastry for breakfast)

Blintz (Jewish Pancakes)

Cannoli

Cantucci - Italian Biscotti

Chocolate Salami

Coffee Liquor

Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee with Dulce de leche

Crepes

Easy Frittelle 

Limoncello Sorbet

Nutella Cookies

Ricotta pie with crust

Sebadas or Seada

Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Tiramisu

South Tyrolean Apple Strudel

Tiramisu (Classic)

Tiramisu with pumpkin

Tiramisu alla Nutella

The Hobbit Seed cake

Panna cotta

Panna cotta al pistacchio

Poached pear with red wine

Polenta cake

Pumpkin Cappuccino

Tarte Tatin

Pappardelle with chorizo, shrimp and mussels

1lbs (500g) pappardelle

4 tablespoons Olive oil
½ pound Spanish Chorizo, sliced 
1lbs (500g) mussels, cleaned & scrubbed 
1lbs (500g) shrimp, shell on 
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ medium onion 
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves 
1 cup tomato pure
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup dry white wine 
Juice of ½ a lemon 
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley 
Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper 

1. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a rapid boil. Cook your Pappardelle according to the package directions (al dente, please), drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Set aside. 

2. Meanwhile, heat a large high-sided skillet over medium-heat, and combine the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the chorizo and cook, turning often, until golden, browned all over, and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the excess oil in the pan. 

3. Add the onion, season with a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 4 – 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, keeping a close watch that it doesn’t burn. Stir in the tomato pure and basil, and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, season with sea salt, and cook for 1 minute on 1 side. Toss, pour in the white wine to deglaze, then bring to a simmer and add the lemon zest, reserved pasta water, and mussels.

4. Cover and cook until the mussels are fully opened, about 5 minutes (discard any mussels that do not open). Grab a spoon & season with sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Squeeze in the lemon juice, add the cooked chorizo, and then toss through with your cooked pappardelle. 

5. Transfer to a serving platter, and top with parsley and an extra hit of freshly cracked black pepper. Delicious! 

Butternut Squash Risotto

6 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 tbsp. butter, divided

3 cups cubed butternut squash (from a 2 1/2-lb. squash) 

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups arborio rice

1/2 c. white wine

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 tbsp. freshly chopped sage

1. 1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring chicken broth to a simmer. Reduce heat to low.
2. 2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in squash, 1 tablespoon butter and garlic. Cook until the squash is beginning to color around edges and then soft, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 
3. 3. Stir in remaining tablespoon butter arborio rice, stirring quickly. Cook until the grains are well-coated and smell slightly toasty, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until the wine has mostly absorbed.
4. 4. With a ladle, add about 1 cup hot broth. Stirring often, cook until the rice has mostly absorbed liquid. Add remaining broth about 1 cup at a time, continuing to allow the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. 
5. 5. Stir often and cook until squash is tender and risotto is al dente and creamy, not mushy, about 25 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and sage, then season with salt and pepper before serving.

Risotto Al Prosecco

- 300-450g (10-1/2 oz to 1 lb) rice for risotto, preferably Carnaroli or vialone nano

- 2-3 shallots, finely minced

- 2 glasses of Prosecco

- Vegetable or chicken broth, preferably homemade.

- Butter

- 75g (2-1/2 oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

1. Melt a good knob of butter (50g or half a stick) in a large saucepan. Sauté the shallots very gently in the butter for a minute or two, taking care not to brown the butter or the shallots.

2. Turn the flame up to medium. Add the rice and let it "toast" for a couple of minutes, then add a glass of prosecco. Let it to evaporate.

3. Now add a ladleful of broth to the rice. Simmer over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the broth has been absorbed by the rice. Add another ladleful of broth and repeat for a total of 18 minutes or so. The rice is done when it's still al dente but without any chalkiness in the center.

4. When the rice is almost done, add a second glass of prosecco and let it evaporate—only partially, like me, you like your risotto quite loose.

5. Off heat, add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and, if you like, another knob of butter to the rice. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds or so, until the cheese and butter have melted and the rice has developed a nice, creamy texture.

6. Serve immediately.

The Prosecco Risotto is good on its own, but you can treat it as a kind of culinary canvas for all sorts of garnishes, too. Shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano for instance, or if you want to be really extravagant, white truffle. Or a sprinkling of minced chives or salmon caviar or pomegranate seeds. Or some toasted pine nuts or crumbled walnuts for a little crunch. And cooked garnishes like sautéed mushrooms or shrimp are a wonderful complement, too.

Shrimp and lemon Risotto

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
  
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
• 1 1/2 Cups Arborio Rice
• 1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
• 5 Cups Vegetable Broth, Heated
• Juice From 1 Large Lemon
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Zest
  7 Ounces /200g Cleaned Fresh Shrimp, Chopped
• 
  

  TO FINISH:

  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Parsley
  • Lemon Zest

  INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
  
  
  
  2. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent, about 7
     minutes
     
  3. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with the butter and oil and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Add the white wine, and stir continually over medium heat until it is absorbed.
  5. Start to add 1/2 cup of hot broth, stirring as it is absorbed.
  6. Continue in this manner, adding ladles full of hot broth, and stirring continuously for about 15 minutes.
  7. Add the lemon juice, zest, and shrimp, and continue to cook, adding the broth, until the risotto is cooked, but remains slightly firm to the bite.
  8. Remove from the heat, add the butter and the parsley.
  9. Serve in individual bowls, garnished with additional lemon zest.

Spinach and sausage Risotto

- 360g (13oz) of Carnaroli rice

- 250g (9oz) of mild Italian sausage

- 1 small onion or 1 shallot

- 2 cups fresh chopped Spinach

- ½ cup (80 ml) of dry white wine

- 1 liter of vegetable stock

- 30g (1oz) of butter

- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

- 3 tablespoons of grated parmigiano reggiano or grana 

padano

- fine salt

1. First of all remove the sausage casings then cut it in small pieces. In a large pan, brown the sausage in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

2. Stir and cook all sides and when ready (about 3/4min) remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and put it aside in a plate. Now finely chop the onion and let it simmer in the oil and the sausage fats for 1 minute.

3. Add it to the onion soffritto and let it cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Now add Carnaroli rice and let it toast for 2 minutes. Keep stirring.

5. Add the white wine and let cook on high heat till absorbed. Then add the 3 or 4 ladles of vegetable stock, until cover the rice. Cook for 15-18 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally and, if necessary, add a ladle or two of stock.

6. Let absorb all the stock and add salt if necessary. Don’t overcook the rice and the best way to not do it is to taste it frequently, so to be sure to add one more ladle of stock or not. When risotto is cooked al dente, turn off the heat then add grated parmigiano, spinach, the cookes sausages and butter.

7. Stir and mix. Serve with more cheese if desired.

Lobster and Champagne Risotto

 

• ¼ cup butter
  
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
•            1 cup champagne
• 2 cups arborio, carnaroli or other short-grained white rice
•  Meat from 1 cooked lobster, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
•  Freshly ground black pepper
•  About 6 cups lobster stock

1. 1. In a medium pot, heat the stock and keep warm.
   
   
2. 2.In a large, wide saucepan, melt the butter in the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add a large pinch of salt, then add the rice and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth and simmer, stirring until the broth is almost absorbed.
   
   3. Add more broth, a cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Stir often. Cook until the rice is tender and the mixture is creamy, around 17 minutes. Then add the Champagne.
3. 4. Stir in the lobster meat until heated through, then add the chives and ¼ cup of the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with remaining Parmesan.

Fennel bulb Risotto

- 4 fennel bulbs

- 2 cups (400g) of Vialone nano rice (Arborio can be used)
- 1 carrot
- 2 onions
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- Butter (about 3 tbsp)
- Grana Padano or any other hard cheese
- Grilled fennel and walnuts to garnish
-Salt and pepper to taste

1 - Starting making the stock: Take all the green parts of the fennel and boil together with one big onion and one carrot on 9 cups of water. Boil for about 45 minutes.

2 - Making the risotto: Sautè one chopped onion with the olive oil for about five minutes in medium heat. Add the chopped fennel together with the white wine and let it cook for 25 minutes in medium low heat.

3- Cooking the rice: Combine the rice adding slowly the stock as it cooks. Add the salt and taste as you cook. Let it cook for about 15 minutes or until the rice is al dente. 

4- Finalizing: Turn the heat of and mix the butter with the cheese. Let it rest for about 2-5 minutes before serving.

Risotto All'Amarone

- 3 tablespoons (45g) plus 2 teaspoons butter

- 1 1/2 cups (320 grams) of Carnaroli risotto rice

- 3 cups  Amarone wine

- 3/4 cup of freshly grated Monte Veronese 

(Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese)

- Vegetable (or chicken) broth (as needed)

- Salt (to taste)

1. In a medium Dutch saucepan, toast the rice in over medium-low heat in 2 teaspoons of the butter

2. In a separate pan, gently heat the wine and, as soon as it reaches a bare simmer, add it to the rice.

3. Continue cooking the rice, stirring, until the wine is absorbed, about 16 to 18 minutes. Add a bit of 

vegetable broth, as needed, towards the end of cooking. 

4. When the rice is cooked  and the liquid has reduced to a creamy sauce, remove the risotto from the heat and add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and the grated cheese. Stir until well combined, season to taste with salt, and serve immediately.

Risotti

Fennel Bulb Risotto

Difference between Arborio and Carnaroli Risotto rice

Amarone Risotto

Asparagus, lemon and mint Risotto

Basic Risotto

Butternut Squash Risotto

Fennel Risotto

Guinness, cheddar and bacon Risotto

Lobster Risotto

Sausage and Radicchio Risotto 

Sausage and Spinach Risotto

Butternut Squash Risotto

Shrimp Risotto

Shrimp, zucchini and zaffron risotto

Squid Ink Risotto

Porcini and Mascarpone Risotto

Prosecco Risotto

Pumpkin and Porcini Risotto

Fried ravioli filled with ricotta and lemon zest served with honey

• Known in dialect as seadas (or, depending on which part of the island you may be, sebadas) were traditionally eaten around Easter or Christmas but now found year round. The main ingredients that set this pastry apart are undoubtedly the local Pecorino cheese and the local honey and their delicate balance – both important products in Sardinia region's cuisine.
  
  The cheese typically used for these pastries is a very fresh, young Pecorino – a sheep's milk cheese in its early stages when still soft and slightly acidic, rather than hard and salty. It's unsurprising, then, to know that this dish's origins are in the pastoral areas of Sardinia's fertile centre and north-west, where shephards led their grazing sheep and would bring home this fresh cheese to prepare this dish.
  
  The simple pastry is a rustic one, made with flour (or semolina) and water, with a bit of lard added to soften it to a silky smooth and quite elastic dough. Cut into rounds, the dough, like a large, round raviolo, sandwiches the cheese, which is melted down and infused with lemon zest, then cooled and cut into perfect rounds to fit the pastry. The seada is deep fried in olive oil and served piping hot with warm Sardinian honey generously drizzled over the top – the result is a honey-soaked crisp pastry, with melting, delicately lemon flavoured cheese. Quite a superb way to end a meal.
  
  If you can't get hold of a young Pecorino for this, it would be quite unorthodox, but go for a soft, young asiago or something delicately, slightly acidic. In some of the island's variations, you may find, less commonly, ricotta in place of the Pecorino, powdered sugar in place of the honey or orange zest in place of the lemon.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  4 cups (500 grams) of plain flour
  
• 1 cup (250 milliliters) cold water, or as needed
  
• 4 tablespoons (50 grams) of lard or butter
  
• 1 pinch salt
  
• 10 ounces (300 grams) of a young Pecorino cheese, cut into cubes
  
• Zest of 2 lemons
  
• Olive oil for frying
  
• 3/4 cup (250 grams) honey
  
  1. Make a dough by combining the flour and salt with some cold water bit by bit until you have a silky, elastic consistency. Add the lard (or butter) and knead until well incorporated. Let the dough rest about 30 minutes, covered.
  
  2. In the meantime, prepare the cheese by melting it in a small saucepan over gentle heat. If you find that the cheese is separating when it melts, add a tablespoon of flour to bring it back together. When melted, stir in the lemon zest then pour it out onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and gently spread out with a soft spatula to form an even layer of cheese, about a third of an inch thick. Let cool. Cut out 12 rounds with a cookie cutter about 3 inches wide.
• 3. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness and cut out 24 rounds with a pastry cutter (you can follow the circumference of a small bowl or tupperware container, anything that is round and is roughly 4-5 inches wide).
  
  4. Place one round of cheese in the centre of one round of dough, top with another round of dough and press the edges well with fingers or with the tines of a fork. If you go with fingers, you can also straighten the edges with a frilled pastry cutter for a traditional look.
  
  5. Fill a wide pan with olive oil until it reaches a depth of one inch. When hot, fry the seadas until golden on both sides (some prefer not to flip them but to spoon the hot oil over the top). Remove from pan and place on kitchen paper until they are all ready (keep warm).
  
  6. Gently warm the honey until liquid then pour over the seadas. This is best consumed freshly made and piping hot while the cheese is still oozing.