Panissa Vercellese
Recipes with Salam d'la Duja
The risotto of Vercelli: Carnaroli rice cooked in red wine with salam d'la duja and borlotti beans. A one-pot dish from the rice paddies of eastern Piedmont, where the sausage preserved in lard melts into the soffritto and gives the rice its color and fat. Panissa is peasant food that stayed peasant food. Every family in the Vercelli plain has a version.
Prep Time
12 hours
Cook Time
45 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients
- 280g Carnaroli rice
- 120g salam d'la duja, casing removed, crumbled
- 150g dried borlotti beans, soaked overnight
- 70g lard
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 100ml red wine (Barbera)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1L warm bean broth (from cooking the beans)
- Salt and black pepper
- 40g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Steps
Drain the soaked beans and place them in a pot with fresh cold water, half the lard, and half the onion. Simmer for 90 minutes until tender. Reserve the broth and set beans aside.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the remaining lard over medium heat. Add the rest of the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Do not brown.
Add the crumbled salam d'la duja and the tomato paste. Stir for 2 minutes until the salami fat renders and the paste darkens.
Add the rice and toast it for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the grains turn translucent at the edges.
Pour in the red wine and stir until absorbed. Add the bay leaf.
Add the warm bean broth one ladle at a time, stirring between additions. After about 12 minutes, fold in the cooked beans. Continue adding broth and stirring for another 5 to 8 minutes until the rice is al dente.
Remove from heat, discard the bay leaf, and stir in the Parmigiano. Season with black pepper. Let rest for 2 minutes before serving.
Tips
Use the bean cooking liquid as your broth. It gives the risotto body that water or stock cannot match. The finished panissa should be dense, not soupy. Serve with a glass of Barbera d'Asti.