Vicenza, Veneto
A risotto from the Vicenza area that showcases two of the region's great products together: sopressa vicentina DOP (a large, soft, sweet salame aged in lard) diced and rendered into the base fat, and Asiago mezzano (medium-aged) stirred in during the mantecatura. The sopressa fat replaces butter as the cooking medium and enriches the final texture; its sweet, lightly spiced flavour permeates every grain. A winter risotto of exceptional depth.
Rich, sweet-savoury risotto carrying the lard-and-spice character of rendered sopressa, united with the creamy mild bite of medium-aged Asiago — a Veneto winter triumph
{"Dice sopressa coarsely; render in a dry pan at medium heat until the fat runs and the cubes are lightly golden","Remove sopressa cubes; use the rendered fat as the base for the soffritto (add a little onion, soften in the fat)","Toast Vialone Nano rice 2 minutes in the sopressa fat before adding white wine","Stock added in ladlefuls over 16–18 minutes as with any risotto","Mantecatura: remove from heat, add diced Asiago Mezzano and cold butter; stir vigorously 90 seconds, lid on 2 minutes"}
{"Reserve the crisped sopressa cubes as a garnish — they add textural contrast","A few sage leaves fried in the sopressa fat before the soffritto add an aromatic layer","Soave Classico or Durello is the natural wine pairing — Vicenza's own white wines"}
{"Regular salame instead of sopressa — the coarse texture and sweet cured lard character of sopressa are unique","Adding the Asiago too early — it becomes stringy threads rather than a creamy melt","Not rendering the sopressa fat fully — the risotto will have chunks of raw fat that never integrate"}
La Cucina Vicentina — Giuseppe Maffioli