Category Archives: Food

Dining with the Saints

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The Feast of San Marco, April 25th

 

 

 

Risi e Bisi

 

Risi e Bisi (rice with fresh peas) is a very old Venetian dish, dating from the Renaissance when green peas where as expensive and luxurious as truffles. It was served to the Doge annually on April 25th for La Festa di San Marco, in honor of St. Mark, the Patron Saint of Venice, Italy. This beautiful and delicate spring dish is still made every April 25th to celebrate the city’s saint.

Dining with the Saints is a monthly feature written by Erica De  Mane, author of several books and columns on Italian cooking as well as a blog called Skinny Guinea at http://www.ericademane.com

 

(Serves four)

 

 

1 1/2 lbs. fresh peas in their pods

2 quarts light chicken broth

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup diced pancetta

2 shallots, cut into small dice

2 cups carnaroli or vialone nano rice

A pinch of ground cinnamon

A slightly bigger pinch of ground nutmeg

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus a little more for serving.

A handful of flat leaf parsley, leaves lightly chopped

 

Shell the peas and reserve the pods. Put the pods in a saucepot. Pour in the chicken broth and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let this simmer, uncovered, for about ½ hour. Strain and keep warm.

 

Choose a wide, shallow pan. Get it hot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the butter. Add the pancetta and sauté until it crisps. Add the shallots and sauté until they’re softened. Add the rice and the peas, seasoning with salt, black pepper, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg. Sauté the rice and peas for about a minute, coating everything well with oil. Start adding the pea broth, a ladleful at a time while you stir the rice. Continue stirring and adding broth as it evaporates until the rice and peas are both tender, about 16 to 17 minutes. Pull the rice from the heat and add the Parmigiano, the parsley, and enough additional broth (or warm water, if you’ve run out) to achieve a loose consistency (this dish is served a little looser than a traditional risotto). Check the seasoning, adding more salt or freshly ground black pepper if needed. Serve right away with additional grated Parmigiano Reggiano to sprinkle over the top.

Dining with the Saints

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Cuccia for St. Lucy’s Day

Sicilians eat cuccia in honor of St. Lucy to this day because of a miracle attributed to her that happened in 1582. That year Sicily was suffering from a terrible famine, and a flotilla of ships carrying grain showed up on December 13—either in Palermo or in Siracusa. December 13 is St. Lucy’s saint’s day. The people of Sicily felt that this huge blessing was the work of their beloved saint.

The people where so famished that they didn’t wait to grind the wheat; rather they boiled the grains whole. Sicilians honor the memory of Santa Lucia on December 13 by refusing to eat anything made with ground flour—no bread, no pasta, the staples of their diet.

Sicilians eat sweet cuccia on Santa Lucia’s day and only then. It’s especially popular in Palermo and in Siracusa, where Lucy was born. It’s made by mixing boiled whole wheat berries with sweetened ricotta, usually sheep’s milk ricotta. It’s served warm and makes a really delicious afternoon snack. Every cook, usually the mom in a Sicilian family, flavors cuccia in their own personal way, creating a taste their family comes to expect each year. You can add candied citron or orange peel, honey, a few shavings of chocolate, cinnamon, orange flower water. I prefer mine with toasted pine nuts and raisins, sugar, and a dusting of cinnamon.

Sweet Cuccia with Pine Nuts and Raisins

(Makes 4 servings)1 cup hard wheat berries (avoid red wheat berries, as they don’t cook up soft enough)

Sicilian sea salt (from Trapani)

1 cup whole milk ricotta, cow or sheep’s milk

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

A few drops of vanilla extract

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

¼ cup raisins soaked in a tablespoon or so of sweet Marsala

A dusting of ground cinnamon

Soak the wheat berries overnight in abundant cool water. Drain them. Pour them into a saucepan. Cover them with  fresh water by at least four inches. Add about ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down so the wheat can cook at a low simmer, partially cover the pan, and cook until the wheat is tender and has just started to burst, about an hour. If the water level gets low at any time during cooking, just add a little.

 

Drain the wheat and pour it into a pretty serving bowl. Mix the ricotta with the powdered sugar and the vanilla, and fold it into the wheat. Add the pine nuts and raisins with their Marsala soaking liquid. Mix gently. Dust the top with ground cinnamon. Serve warm.