A classic of Lombard cuisine: creamy and rich in flavor, gorgonzola risotto has enjoyed centuries of success. Even today it is a one of the most present dishes on the menus of restaurants in Lombardy, Piedmont and Emilia.
In fact, all great chefs sooner or later deal with this dish, trying to innovate its flavors and traditions. Often with attempts that quickly end up forgotten, but sometimes with excellent results. Check out our gorgonzola risotto with pears (recipe here), which is really just an example. In fact, on the delicately spicy base of the traditional gorgonzola risotto, the most varied ingredients were added little by little: apples, walnuts, mushrooms, beets, pumpkins, cocoa and more.
What we propose is the simplest and most traditional version of the recipe, probably born between the 16th and 17th centuries. That is, shortly after the cheese of the same name was invented in the town of Gorgonzola. Because if you find yourself on the same table as boiled rice and gorgonzola… you understand that you don’t have to be Leonardo da Vinci to invent risotto with gorgonzola.
After all, the Deliciously complex and spicy flavor. It is more than enough to give the dish a better flavor. Which originally was definitely made up of just rice and gorgonzola. Parmesan (or parmesan), parsley, pepper and even broth are later additions, although traditional for centuries.
Nothing to say about recipe that is very simple. Just a hint about broth It’s in came.
The broth must be meat.. In the absence of real broth, add the bouillon cube, being careful not to add more salt, because gorgonzola is also quite tasty. In our opinion, however, Prepared broths are better than bouillon cubes which are now on sale everywhere.
Wine does not appear in traditional recipe books and that’s why we didn’t foresee it either. However, today it is also used by renowned chefs and is perhaps cited in most recipes on the Internet. If you think it is to your taste, use half a glass to sprinkle the rice that has finished drying in the pan and let it evaporate before adding the broth.
- 320 g of rice for risotto
- 200 g spicy gorgonzola
- 1 onion
- 20 grams of butter
- 60 g grated parmesan
- 1.5 liters of meat broth
- Parsley
- Pepper
- Cut the gorgonzola into small cubes and set aside at room temperature // Heat the broth to the right temperature so that it simmers, without boiling tumultuously.
- Finely chop the onion and fry it in butter for 5 minutes in the risotto pan. Keep the heat very low and covered, stirring a few times.
- Add the rice to the pan and toast lightly over moderate heat, stirring well with a wooden spoon.
- When the rice looks dry and shiny, add 3 ladles of boiling broth, stir and let the rice cook, absorbing all the broth. Continue cooking in this way, adding one or two ladles of broth as the rice dries and stirring occasionally.
- One minute before turning off the heat, when the rice seems cooked al dente and almost ready to serve, add the gorgonzola. Stir to mix evenly, then also add the parsley, season with a little ground pepper, mix again and turn off the heat.
- Now add the parmesan. Finally, cover and let your gorgonzola risotto rest for 3 minutes before serving it while still very hot.
To aspire to be “perfect”, risotto requires a series of actions, a long-established practice. Among these actions there are two, roasting and creaming, which play an important role, but which are being discussed again in recent years. In fact, many chefs (including some famous ones) believe that toasting rice and whipping risotto can be done better than what has been done so far.
New theories recommend dry toasting rice, without seasoning or sautéing. This is because it is Objectively difficult to toast rice in butter or oil., even more so if there is also moisture that the vegetables release when frying. To really toast rice you need high temperatures. That is why – argue the defenders of dry roasting – in conventional risottos (as in the case of our risotto with gorgonzola) the rice is golden at most, but never really toasted: otherwise fats and vegetables would be burned. On the other hand, good roasting is important to preserve the compactness of the grain during cooking and ensure proper release of starch.
This is how we proceed. Prepare the sauce in a separate pan. Meanwhile, pour the rice into the saucepan (quite large). without fat or anything else, heat over moderate heat and toast, stirring gently and continuously. The grains are roasted when they turn white and begin to rub slightly against the walls of the pan: it will take 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the variety of rice. At that time (if planned) wet with wine, pour it all together, to lower the temperature of the rice. When the wine has evaporated, add the sauce, mix and immediately begin to pour the broth, always keeping the heat moderate, not too low. Add salt halfway through cooking.
Cream means mix the ingredients to obtain a creamy mixture. In risottos, the traditional cream is obtained with fatty substances: in particular with butter, but also with cream, cheeses and, under certain conditions, also with oil. These substances are added at the end of cooking and together with the starch released by the rice they form the creamy and moderately fluid mixture (the famous “wave”) that is considered essential for a well-made risotto. In fact It is mainly starch that forms the cream. that releases the rice, if handled well with the roasting and cooking processes. After that it is also The resting phase at the end of cooking is important., to make the rice lose a few degrees of temperature and stabilize the release of starch. At this point, add the fat and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.
However – several chefs argue – if cremation is due not so much to fats but to the correct management of starches, then it is better to proceed with a good roast and then add fat (all or part) at the beginning of cooking, not at the end. That is, along with sautéing, immediately after roasting. Butter, for example, becomes more digestible this way (because it is actually cooked), but it also emulsifies better with starch, giving an even creamier result.
Clear? The choice is up to you!
