Soups and risottos from Romagna

When it comes to soups and risottos, this gastronomic journey can only begin with the recipe for the “Risotto romagnolesco che mi fa Mariù”, a poem by Giovanni Pascoli that puts into verse the recipe for his favourite risotto, made by his sister Maria.

Published in 1930 in the food magazine “La cucina italiana”, this recipe in verse was written in 1905 in reply to his journalist friend Augusto Guido Bianchi, who had suggested to him the recipe for his Risotto alla milanese. A playful contest between risottos that reveals Pascoli's passion for good food, closely tied to the genuine, simple produce of the Romagna countryside.

Risotto romagnolo

My friend, I read your risotto in the future tense!
It's very good, only a little too far off,
with all that “you will do, you will want, you will know”!

This one, from my home town, is more certain,
because it's in the here and now. She chopped a little
onion in a clean pan.

She put in butter the colour of crocus
and saffron (that's from Milan!): for a long while
she then left her stew simmering on the fire.

You'll say to me: “Butter and onion?” I'll add
that there was also a chicken liver or two,
a bit of giblet, a few mushrooms.

What a wonderful smell came from the chimney!
I already felt a little comforted,
after all my Greek, after all my Latin!

Then she squeezed in a few tomatoes;
she let it simmer quietly, gently,
until it took on a clear golden colour.

Only then did she put in
the raw rice, just as you say.
Midday is already striking… here is the risotto
the Romagna way, that Mariù makes for me.

Risotto with “poveracce” (small clams)

“Poveracce” in Romagna are small clams that used to be gathered by hand along the shore; smaller and less prized than other varieties, they're known in dialect as “puvràz”. They used to be very common in the Adriatic and can still be found on fishmongers' stalls today. Those from Cattolica are considered among the tastiest. Early in the morning, you can sometimes still see people, mostly elderly, walking along the water's edge and sifting through the sand in search of these tasty molluscs.

Ingredients [serves 6]

• 2 kg poveracce (small clams)
• 500 g rice (carnaroli, preferably)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 glass of dry white wine
• fresh parsley
• pepper

Method
First, the clams need to be purged of sand by soaking them in salted water for at least a couple of hours before use. They then need to be washed well and opened in a pan in which 1 clove of garlic has been fried for a few minutes. A few minutes over a high heat with the lid on are enough to open the clams. At this point, shell half the clams and set the other half aside; strain their cooking liquid and keep it to use later in the risotto.

In another pan, fry 2-3 cloves of garlic in plenty of oil, along with a few cherry tomatoes or pieces of fresh tomato. Add the shelled clams and 500 g of rice, and wait until the rice turns glossy and almost translucent; at that point, pour in a small glass of dry white wine and let it evaporate. Stir continuously and add the clams' cooking liquid, then gradually add boiling salted water until the rice is cooked. Before turning off the heat, add the remaining clams that were set aside. 

The rice takes an average of 15-16 minutes to cook. Just before serving, add finely chopped fresh parsley and a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper.

Risotto with eel

A first course typical of Comacchio, its Valli (wetlands) and the Ferrara area, this dish uses eel as its main ingredient, prepared here according to age-old tradition. Eel is a very fatty fish, usually cooked over embers. This risotto has a very intense, distinctive flavour.

Ingredients [serves 6]

• 1.5 kg eel
• 500 g rice
• 2 cloves of garlic
• oil
• parsley
• salt

Method
First, clean and wash the eel, remove its skin, and cut it into small pieces to get flaked flesh. It's a good idea to check carefully for small bones and remove them, for example by passing the flesh through a sieve. The eel trimmings can be boiled in water to make the stock the risotto will be cooked in.

For the risotto: fry oil and garlic in a pan, then add the pieces of eel and the salt. Leave to cook for about thirty minutes, adding a ladleful of hot stock if needed. Then add the rice and continue cooking, adding stock, until done. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and pepper.

Risotto with duck sauce

A recipe typical of the Comacchio wetlands, served at the table on special occasions given how demanding it is to make.

Ingredients [serves 6]

• 1 wild duck (at least 1.5 kg)
• 50 g pancetta
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 knob of butter
• 1 onion
• 1 glass of white wine
• ½ glass of extra virgin olive oil
• 500 g rice
• meat stock
• parmesan, to taste
• orange zest

Method
Clean the duck thoroughly and cut it into small pieces. Fry the onion and diced pancetta in the oil. Add the duck to the soffritto, pour in the white wine, salt, pepper and cook for about 90 minutes over a very low heat.

Now move on to preparing the risotto. Start with a soffritto of oil, butter and thinly sliced onion. Once the rice is properly toasted, add a little white wine and let it evaporate, then add the boiling meat stock a little at a time and continue cooking. When the rice is half cooked, stir in a little of the duck sauce. The risotto is served with the hot duck sauce as a topping, with the pieces of duck arranged around it.

The risotto can be garnished with a few curls of orange zest.

Asparagus soup

Asparagus is a typical product of the Romagna countryside. Wild asparagus, harder to find, can still be gathered among the inland hills or found at some markets and more traditional shops. Compared with the usual variety, it is thinner, with a more intense colour and flavour.

Ingredients

• 600 g wild asparagus
• 1 shallot
• 2 knobs of butter
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 litres of meat stock
• quadretti, maltagliati or rice pasta

Method
Wash and trim the asparagus, discarding the tough part (snap the stem at the point where it breaks easily). Fry a shallot in the butter and oil, season with salt and pepper, add the asparagus cut into small pieces and cook over a low heat (for about an hour), adding the meat stock. Cook the pasta or rice in the resulting broth. Serve piping hot with plenty of parmesan.

Poveracce (clam) soup

Ingredients

• 2 kg clams
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• parsley
• 5 cherry tomatoes
• ½ glass of extra virgin olive oil
• bread croutons
• coarse salt and pepper
• garlic

Method
Put the clams (well washed and purged) in a wide, deep pan, add the garlic cloves, the tomato, the parsley and all the other ingredients, going easy on the salt as clams are already quite salty. Cover with a heavy lid and cook until the clams open. At this point the soup is ready.

It can be served with garlic-scented bread croutons.