In The Search for Risi e Bisi (Part 1), I described my quest to find and eat this iconic Venetian dish, in Venice. It should have been easy, right? It ended up being quite a challenge! Risi e Bisi, a humble yet elegant dish of fresh spring peas and rice is a cross between a soup and a risotto. Even though it’s a very traditional and seemingly important recipe, it’s nearly impossible to find in restaurants in the city.
Background So what is Risi e Bisi, and why on earth would I be searching for it? Well, according to every Venetian cookbook that I own, (and I have a boatload), Risi e Bisi is an iconic Venetian dish. It’s a simple rice dish made with broth, risotto rice, fresh spring peas, and maybe a little pancetta. You hear about it everywhere – in travel guides, cookbooks (in English & Italian), food magazines, blogs, cooking shows, you name it. It’s important, I tell you, it’s everywhere… Except, well, in Venice.
My husband and I just had our 10th wedding anniversary this week. (Holy moly!) That coincided well with our daughters’ 8th birthday, Easter and her Easter vacation. To celebrate these very important occasions in style, we decided to go to Rome for the holiday. We spent a week there on our honeymoon, so for sentimental reasons, it was perfect. It’s also my happy place.
You hear of people falling in love with a person or place at first sight. I did – with Italy, 15 years ago. It got its hooks into me fast and hasn’t let go yet. My first trip was to Venice in April of 2003, and then, because I loved it so much, I came back in December of the same year to visit Florence and Rome! I hit the big three quickly. They are all stupendous in their own unique ways and are usually a traveler’s first stops, and with good cause. However, if you are lucky enough to come back and you…