Risotto al Parmigiano Reggiano con Midollo Reggiano

Ingredients

• 320 g Carnaroli rice
• 1 white onion, finely diced
• 80 g bone marrow (midollo), extracted from split bones, at room temperature
• 60 g unsalted butter, for soffritto
• 80 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes, for mantecatura
• 120 g Parmigiano Reggiano 24-month, freshly grated, for mantecatura
• 1.5 litres capon broth, kept at a steady simmer throughout cooking
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, to taste; the broth and Parmigiano carry salt — add with care

Method

1. 1
   Melt the 60 g of butter in a wide, heavy saucepan over the lowest possible heat. Add the finely diced onion and sweat, stirring occasionally, for a minimum of 20 minutes. The onion must become completely translucent and soft, yielding without resistance to the spoon — no colour, no golden edge, no caramelisation. This is the foundation of the dish.
2. 2
   Add the bone marrow to the softened onion. Allow it to melt into the butter and onion base over gentle heat, stirring to incorporate. The marrow will dissolve into the fat without leaving visible separation — the base will appear unified, glossy, and slightly enriched in colour.
3. 3
   Add the Carnaroli rice and toast it in the enriched base for 2 minutes, turning it continuously until each grain is coated and the outer edge turns from chalky white to a faint translucency at the rim. No wine is added at any stage.
4. 4
   Add a ladle of hot capon broth and stir with a wave-motion — sweeping from the edges to the centre — until the broth is fully absorbed and the rice begins to pull from the sides of the pan. Add the next ladle only at that moment. Continue this process, ladle by ladle, for approximately 17–18 minutes. This step is where the dish lives or dies: premature addition of broth before full absorption prevents starch release and destroys the emulsive structure that the mantecatura depends upon.
5. 5
   When the rice is al dente — tender at the surface but carrying a faint resistance at the core — remove the pan from heat entirely. Add the cold butter cubes and grated Parmigiano Reggiano in stages, beating vigorously for 2–3 minutes without pause. The motion must be energetic: the risotto must be worked into an emulsion, not stirred to a paste.
6. 6
   Tilt the pan. The risotto must flow slowly in a continuous wave — all'onda — neither running like a soup nor holding its shape like a mound. If it is too tight, add a small ladle of broth and beat again. If it runs, the mantecatura was insufficient. Adjust salt with care: the Parmigiano and broth carry substantial salinity.
7. 7
   Plate immediately into warm bowls. The risotto will continue to absorb liquid after plating; it must be served and eaten at once.