Risotto on the field: how to pair rice with wild herbs.

Summer has arrived even before spring could say its piece: we went from 10-15 degrees in the first weeks of April, and suddenly we are touching 30 degrees. The weather no longer has seasons. Unfortunately, it is no longer a laconical lament from some bored old gentleman at the bar. The perception of an epochal change in the temperatures known so far on this Earth is becoming more and more realistic. Let's try to draw some positivity from it, from a gastronomic point of view.

The sun and heat have suddenly made many types of wild herbs bloom, and the bucolic walks between fields and riverbanks are now becoming more interesting and filled with goodness. Don’t call them weeds! They are miraculous herbs and hold within them flavors of a time that no longer exists or, better yet, from a time that is coming back into fashion in our dishes. Cooking with wild herbs is increasingly trendy, often paired with rice, but to cook these delicacies of nature that are reborn, one must know the various types of products well. 

For example: do you know what Sorrel is? Sorrel is an herb that is harvested in April and is also called sour grass or oxalis. Its leaves have a slightly sour taste, plus it has a red-striped stem and a cluster of green-pink flowers in May. The sorrel risotto is an excellent dish made with the leaves and younger tips. A great recipe is with good Arborio rice creamed with fresh sweet sheep cheese and some good Extra Virgin Olive Oil. All seasoned with a bit of black pepper and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Now let me introduce you to an herb with many names, and its use in the kitchen is extraordinary both raw and cooked. It always makes a great impression in risotto! Its name? Tarragon. They can also be called molesini, schioppettini, valerianella, etc. These are plants that are often found along riverbanks, along roadside verges near fields. Their leaves are thick and soft, especially when they come out of the ground. Over time, they tend to harden, and when the stem rises, it produces small flowers that look like little balloons inviting you to pop them for fun. Once cleaned, the herb is eaten raw, or a great solution is with Vialone Nano rice, which always produces excellent creamy risottos. Excellent on its own, creamed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and some flakes of fresh Monte Veronese cheese in the final creaming. 

It stings, it hurts, and usually, we avoid it when we see its pointed and sometimes hairy leaves: it is Nettle. You need to be skilled at collecting it to avoid irritating your skin. To tell the truth, wise old folks used to say that giving nettle strikes on the skin now and then is good as it helps the blood flow better, improving circulation. However, we present it to you as a fundamental ingredient in many dishes made with wild herbs. Nettle becomes sweet with a beautiful chlorophyll feeling of fresh vegetable and grass. Excellent combined with a risotto made with Carnaroli rice and paired with traditional salsiccia. It is also great to flavor and cream with flakes of Vezzena Vecchio cheese at the end, also as a garnish for the dish.

How many times have I seen ladies in the countryside with a wicker basket and a small knife bent over? It was the sign that spring had arrived, and especially that the bitter herbs they loved so much had arrived. Dandelion, which in our area of Verona is also called Brusaocio but is also known as Pissacàn (and here, not much is left to the imagination…), is the most common green herb. It produces a beautiful yellow flower that then gives way to a puffball. But when it is freshly picked, its slightly bitter sensation at the end and its pleasant texture are an excellent tonic for our bodies. There are multiple types of rice that can be paired with this wild herb, but we can also risk using some Brown Rice for a nice rustic flavor. It is better to boil the herbs first or, even better, steam them. Then they are chopped into small pieces and added to the rice when it’s about a third of the way through cooking. At that point, it's recommended to keep stirring the risotto and to enrich it with some salami paste or, if you want to make it more intriguing, with pieces of spicy soppressata that melt during cooking. Cream with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and serve with some curls of aged Malga Mariech cheese. Extraordinary!

We cannot forget the king of wild herbs: Hop, also known as Bruscandolo. Try asking in some restaurant how much a dish with this simple herb costs... you would think it's gold! Yet it is an herb that requires time and sometimes courage to harvest, as it is often found on abandoned rocks, thorny hedges, and in woods up to 1500 meters. Before it blooms, Hop pairs perfectly with its best matching ingredient: rice. The preferred risottos are always creamy, so the most suitable type is Vialone Nano rice, and in this case, given the type of flavor of the herb, we recommend an aged rice. Why not? The Stoppato family’s Riserva rice. The Hop is steamed to retain more flavor, then left whole and cooked in the risotto with some aromatic white wine. It is advisable to cream it with a delicate cheese, and we recommend Moesin cheese, which has a nice creamy saltiness. Finish the dish with some pepper and cream with a little chopped Lardo di Colonnata at the end. A spring delight.

Bernardo Pasquali

S&M