Paniscia (Piedmontese Risotto)

Enjoy this wonderful recipe from Chef Piero Bertinotti of the Ristorante Pinocchio, who will lead you on your culinary endeavors during a Piedmont cooking vacation.

Paniscia is a typical northern Italian dish featuring vegetables, beans, and a local salame, and is also called “Paniscia di Novara,” since it hails from the Piedmontese town of Novara.

Paniscia (Piedmontese Risotto)

Serves: 4
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Cook method: Simmer

Ingredients

• 350 grams of rice (carnaroli type) (about 12 ½ ounces)
• 1 cup of Gattinara wine
• 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive-oil
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 120 grams “duja” salami (about 4 ¼ ounces)
• 20 grams ‘cotenne’ (boiled pig skin), cut in small pieces (about 2 tbsp)†
• 4 spoons of grated Parmesan cheese
• black pepper to taste

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For the broth:

• 1 liter of vegetable broth
• 100 grams of beans (Borlotti type)
• 100 grams of celery
• 100 grams of carrots
• 100 grams of savoy cabbage
• 100 grams of scallion
• 100 grams of zucchini
• 100 grams of tomato sauce

†Don’t have a local butcher? Look for pig skin at Chinese, Thai, or Vietnamese specialty food shops; or if necessary omit altogether.

Instructions

1. Cut all the vegetables (except the onion) in small cubes, sauté them slightly in the olive oil and cook them in the vegetable broth for approximately 30 minutes.

2. Then brown the diced onion, add the rice and the salami cut in small pieces.

3. Cover everything with the red wine.

4. Add the pigskin pieces and keep cooking and turning it with a wooden spoon for about 20 minutes by adding a ladel-full of the broth with vegetables every time the rice gets dry-.

5. Remove from the fire and stir the rice with cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive-oil. Then add the pepper.

6. Wait 2-3 minutes before serving or eating the rice. You can add extra parmesan cheese on the top.

Serve with a Nebbiolo wine.

Try these great Piedmont recipes for Piedmontese Ravioli and Manzo brasato al Barolo.

See more risotto recipes including:

• Carnaroli risotto with Shrimp Bisque
• Risotto from the Veneto
• Risotto al Chianti Classico
• Black Truffle Risotto

By Peg Kern

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