I love a good glass of red wine. It is always especially magical when I can team it up with an incredible dish. Tonight I was in the mood for a different savory dish, perhaps something Italian, but not the usual pasta. I found this recipe out of Elisabetta Piazzesi’s book called “Tuscan Cookery” – a little gem of a book packed with mouthwatering soups, appetizers, creative meat dishes, and just about anything you could want but likely not find in typical American Italian restaurants.
I love artichokes; in fact the other day I bought a can of artichoke hearts from Trader Joe’s and just ate the whole thing out of the tin, with a fork. So for my staycation, ergo, my “date with Tuscany” I decided to create:
RISOTTO AI CARCIOFI (Artichoke risotto)
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 1 1/2 cups + 2 tbs of rice
- 6 Globe Artichokes
- 3 Tbsp of Butter
- 7oz boiled, unsmoked ham
- 1 onion
- 1 Lemon
- Parmesan cheese
- raisin wine
- parsley
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
1. Trim the artichokes:discarding the tough leaves and CUT into THIN wedges.
2. Place in a bowl with water and the lemon
3. Chop up the onion and sautee slowly in the butter with the ham in strips.
4. Add Artichokes.
5. Brown for 10 minutes, THEN add rice and a glass of raisin wine.
6. Stirring with a wooden spoon, cook the rice over medium heat.
7. Begin adding the boiling water(about 3 1/2 cups)
8. When the cooking is done (20/30 min), season with salt and pepper
9. At the moment of serving beat the rice, pouring in a handful of parsley and LOTS of grated Parmesan cheese.
Now, all you have to do is find your favorite wine, put on some beautiful Italian Concerto, and imagine being in a vineyard in Tuscany. Ahhhh, now isn’t that nice?
If you enjoyed this recipe or have any suggestions please write or comment, we always love to hear from you!
In the meantime, buon appetito!
~FoodDiva