Pear and robiola risotto paired with Roero Arneis Docg Duchessa Lia

A RECIPE BY SARA MILLETTI
FOR DUCHESSA LIA

A fresh spring risotto to enjoy some excellences of the Piedmontese territory: pears and robiola in combination with a great native white, Roero Arneis Docg, icon of the Roero hills, lying on the left bank of the Tanaro river.

Risotto with pears, robiola cheese and toasted almonds is a creamy and tasty vegetarian first course perfect for the spring season. The pears give freshness and to the dish, the robiola is used for creaming and the salted toasted almonds are the crunchy and savory note that cannot be missed. Nice to look at, it can be scented with fresh marjoram. The recommendation is to make it with Carnaroli variety rice both for its ability to absorb seasonings and for its excellent resistance to cooking.

The recipe is by Sara Milletti for Duchessa Lia and can be found in its full version on the blog L'appetito vien mangiando.

INGREDIENTS
for 4 people

800 ml of vegetable broth
320 g of carnaroli rice
120 g of fresh robiola
3 Kaiser pears
1 shallot
1 glass of dry white wine
1 bunch of fresh marjoram
1 knob of butter
freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

for the salted toasted almonds

100 g of peeled almonds
20 g of egg white
Salt to taste

METHOD

Make the salted toasted almonds. Preheat the oven to 185 ° C in fan mode. Put the egg white in a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the almonds and mix to ensure that they are completely covered with egg white. Cover a dripping pan with baking paper. Drain the almonds well in a colander to remove the excess egg white and place them on baking paper, spacing them apart. Add salt and toast them for about 10 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. When they are golden, turn off the oven, open the door and let the almonds cool inside.

Prepare the pear chips. Wash a pear and with the help of a mandolin cut it without peeling it lengthwise to a thickness of a few mm. Preheat the oven to 170 ° C in fan mode. Arrange the pear slices on a baking tray covered with baking paper and let them dry for 15-20 minutes, checking them often and turning them with kitchen tongs during cooking. When they are ready, take them out of the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. Keep aside.

Make the risotto with pears, robiola cheese and toasted salted almonds. Finely chop the shallot and put it in a saucepan with the butter. Fry then add the rice and toast it. Add salt, then add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate over a high flame. When the alcohol has evaporated, sprinkle with boiling vegetable broth and cook for 8 minutes, adding more broth if necessary. Meanwhile, peel the remaining pears and cut them into pieces, removing the central core. Add the pears to the risotto and cook (taste and check that the risotto is savory otherwise adjust with more salt). Remove the rice from the heat then add the robiola. Stir to whisk the risotto, cover with a lid and let it rest for a minute. Divide the risotto into the plates and complete with the pear chips, the toasted salted almonds coarsely chopped with a knife, the marjoram leaves and a grind of black pepper.