Risi e Bisi: Venetian Rice and Peas

Name: Risi e Bisi: Venetian Rice and Peas
Cook time: 25 minutes
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces (40 g) pancetta 1 large or 2 small spring onions 2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves Leaves from 1 sprig marjoram (optional; not traditional) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 cups (300 g) Vialone Nano rice 1 teaspoon fine salt; plus more as needed 6 cups (1.4 L) chicken or vegetable broth; preferably homemade; heated 2 cups (300 g) shelled fresh English peas; from 2 lb (900 g) unshelled; or 2 cups frozen; thawed (see NOTE) Freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Primo

Domenica Marchetti | Fri, 04/30/2021 - 11:04

Difficulty Level

Low

Cooking Time

25 minutes

Cost

Low

One of the Veneto’s most beloved classic recipes is risi e bisi; or, simply, rice and peas. With such a pared down title, you might think it was merely another example of Italian culinary ingenuity with humble ingredients and the ability to turn very little into something special.

But the history of this Venetian dish is anything but humble. It was the dish that heralded spring, one that the Doges themselves — onetime leaders of the Republic of Venice — are said to have re