-
1
Bring a large pot of abundantly salted water to a rolling boil, using enough salt so the water tastes decisively of the sea, because this is the rice's only seasoning and it will not be sauced until the last moment. Add the Vialone Nano and cook uncovered, exactly as one cooks pasta — not by absorption — stirring occasionally so the grains move freely and cook evenly rather than clumping. The rice is ready when the grains are just al dente: tender throughout but with a faint resistance at the centre.
-
2
Drain the rice completely through a fine sieve, shaking it to drive off every last drop of water, because any water clinging to the grains will cause the hot cagnone to spit violently and will dilute its concentrated, nutty flavour on contact. Return the rice to the warm, dry pot and cover it so it stays hot while the butter is prepared. No residual water should remain.
-
3
Place the butter and the whole garlic clove together in a small, light-coloured saucepan over medium heat — the pale interior of the pan is essential so you can read the colour of the butter accurately and pull it at the right moment. This is where the dish lives or dies: watch the butter as it melts, foams, and then begins to turn golden-brown — approximately 5 minutes — because the moment of deep-gold colour and toasted-hazelnut scent is the target, and a few seconds beyond it tips into acrid bitterness that cannot be rescued. The garlic clove should colour to deep gold alongside the butter, resembling a tadpole in the pan — the cagnone of the dish's name — and if the butter darkens further to amber-black it is burnt and must be discarded.
-
4
Plate the drained rice immediately into four warmed bowls or onto a single warmed platter, working quickly so the rice does not cool before the butter arrives. Pour the sizzling cagnone — butter, garlic, and all — directly over the rice at the moment of service, so the hot fat perfumes the grains on contact rather than cooling and pooling beneath them. The audible sizzle as the hot fat meets the rice is part of the preparation.
-
5
Grate the Grana Padano generously over the top. Serve without delay; the rice must arrive at the table while the butter is still sizzling and fragrant.