Risi e Bisi

Ingredients

• For the pea-pod broth
• 1 kg fresh spring peas in pod, pods reserved after shelling
• 1.5 litres water
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 80 g pancetta or guanciale, diced
• 60 g unsalted butter, divided; plus an extra knob for serving
• 320 g Vialone Nano rice
• 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
• 1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
• to taste fine sea salt

Method

1. 1
   Shell the peas, setting aside the shelled peas and reserving all pods. Place the pods in a saucepan with 1.5 litres of cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, reduce to a steady simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the pods firmly to extract all liquid. Discard the pods and keep the broth hot over a low flame. The broth is ready when it carries a clean, green, pea-sweet fragrance.
2. 2
   In a wide, heavy-based pan, melt half the butter over a medium-low heat. Add the pancetta or guanciale and cook gently until the fat has rendered and the meat is softened but not coloured. Add the onion and sweat until completely soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. The soffritto is ready when the onion is yielding and sweet to the touch of a spoon, with no raw resistance.
3. 3
   Add half the shelled peas to the soffritto. Stir once or twice to coat them in the fat, then add the Vialone Nano rice. Toast the rice for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the grains are lightly opaque and give off a faint nutty scent.
4. 4
   Begin adding the hot pea-pod broth, one ladleful at a time, stirring after each addition and allowing most of the liquid to be absorbed before adding the next. This is where the dish lives or dies: the consistency must remain decidedly soupy throughout — all'onda, flowing in waves — never tightening to the mounded texture of a Milanese risotto. If the broth runs short before the rice is cooked, supplement with hot water. Continue for approximately 16 to 18 minutes, until the rice is tender with a firm centre and the mixture pours fluidly off the spoon.
5. 5
   Two minutes before the rice is done, stir in the remaining half of the shelled peas. They require only brief heat to warm through and retain their colour and sweetness. The peas are ready when they are bright green and just tender, with no trace of grey or mushiness.
6. 6
   Remove the pan from the heat. Add the remaining butter and the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir in with a gentle folding motion — the mantecatura. Stir in the chopped flat-leaf parsley. Taste and adjust salt. The finished dish should flow from the spoon onto the plate in a single, slow, continuous pour, spreading rather than mounding.