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.
Victory – I finally get to try Risi e Bisi in Venice
Thanks to a restaurant called Il Nuovo Galeon, I have finally eaten this elusive dish in Venice. Woo hoo! Giorgio, one of the owners, when told of my fruitless search for Risi e Bisi, kindly offered to have his cooks make it for my family and me. Our Risi e Bisi was delightful, simple and delicious, and the service was a hoot. Bucket list item checked off!
To be honest, I never would have chosen this restaurant without the coaxing of my brother-in-law. Their menu contains dishes not in the Venetian repertoire, so I thought it was probably a tourist trap. It wasn’t, and proved that a restaurant catering to both tourists and Italians can have really good food. After eating two lovely meals there, I recommend giving them a visit if you’re on the Via Garibaldi in the Castello area. Thanks to Giorgio, Donatello and Sergio!
Seeing how difficult it is to find Risi e Bisi in Venice outside of a Venetian home, I encourage you make it. Let’s talk about the recipe!
Notes on the Recipe
As I mentioned, Risi e Bisi is a very simple dish. The ingredient list doesn’t contain anything that you can’t find outside of Italy, which is great news. Generally, it includes:
- extra virgin olive oil
- Vialone Nano rice (You may also use Carnaroli or Arborio rice but Venetians generally use the Vialone Nano variety)
- fresh English peas in the pod
- broth
- onion or spring onion
- pancetta
- a little butter
- a touch of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
- Italian flat leaf parsley
That’s it. Risi e Bisi is made throughout the Veneto region in spring, with slight regional differences of ingredients and techniques. Depending on the town you are in, the broth will vary – in Treviso, for example, they make a broth out of the pea pods. In other cities, they might use chicken, meat or vegetable broth, just to name a few. (I read in one source that in Padova they make Risi e Bisi with confit of goose!!) Another contested ingredient is the pancetta. Some cooks feel like the pork covers the flavor of the fresh peas, so choose to omit it. I leave that up to you. I love the pancetta, so I use it.
The recipe below is an adaption and translation of Giampiero Rorato’s version from his wonderful book La Grande Cucina Veneziana. In the US, I used the recipe from The Da Fiore Cookbook by Damiano Martin. However, when we moved I could only pack so many books, and therefore had to try new recipes once we got to Bologna. I combine the two recipes by making the pea broth from The Da Fiore Cookbook, and the general ingredient amounts and techniques from Rorato.
In my opinion, you should only use fresh peas, not frozen. When you make the dish with the fresh peas, making a light broth out of the pods, it tastes like a delightful bowl of spring! I think that frozen peas contribute much less flavor. (Basically, you end up with a pea risotto rather than a true Risi e Bisi.) Another great reason to make a pea broth is that you waste nothing, and don’t have to make a more complicated broth. (With added expense and chopping.) It’s a win-win situation for me. One spring, when I couldn’t find peas in the pod, I was successful using previously shelled fresh peas and made the broth out of sugar snap peas.
Since pea season is very short, let’s get cooking. Enjoy!
Please let me know if you’ve been able to sample Risi e Bisi in your travels to Venice and the Veneto region. I’d love to hear from you.
If you are interested in hearing about rice in Italy as a whole, please read this wonderful article by Sara at My Dear Italia. She is also on Instagram here where she often brings up some rather interesting cultural tidbits about her native Italy. I recommend that you give her unique profile a look if you’re interested in Italian culture.
Ingredients
- 900 grams (2 lbs) fresh peas in the pod, shelled (you should end up with approx. 300-350 grams (13 oz) of shelled peas)
- 200 grams (7 oz) Vialone Nano, Carnaroli, or Arborio rice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 50-75 grams (1.75-2.5 oz) pancetta, cubed, optional
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter, or to taste
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated, plus more to garnish
- 1-2 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- First, prepare the broth: After you have shelled the peas, clean the pods and remove any leaves and stems. Place the cleaned pods in a stock pot and cover with 2 liters of water. Bring to a simmer, add a tablespoon of coarse sea salt or kosher salt and simmer for 1 hour. Once done, take out the pods with a skimmer, or drain the pods and put the broth back in the stockpot. Keep over low heat.
- While the broth simmers, measure and prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- Place a stockpot over medium-low heat and add the extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter.
- Once the butter has melted add the onion and pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent.
- Next, add the peas and set the heat to low. Add a good pinch of salt and stir gently and cook for 12-15 minutes.
- Add the rice and coat thoroughly with the onion and pea mixture, taking care not to not crush the peas. Cook until the rice starts to become translucent and the rice makes a clicking sound as you stir.
- Start adding the hot broth to the mixture and stir frequently, adding broth as it reduces. You should never let it get dry. While cooking, regulate the heat to keep the broth at a nice simmer. Cook until the rice is al dente, adding enough broth in your last ladleful to keep it a bit soupy but not too loose. In total, the rice should be cooked in about 20-25 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, check the seasoning, add the last tablespoon of butter and a little cheese. The pea flavor should be the star, so don't add too much butter or cheese. Garnish with the fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
This recipe has been adapted and translated from the book La Grande Cucina Veneziana by Giampiero Rorato. If you would like to have bigger portions and a higher ratio of rice to peas, I'd add 50 grams more of rice.
