Personally, I think that when you’re cooking risotto in your own home kitchen you should make it however you like to eat it (though I learned the ‘proper way’ in school and made note of that too). As for the fish and cheese rule, well, Italian Jews ignored it so they could follow their dietary laws (no mixing meat and cheese, so how about fish?), and I was happy to face the consequences of their choice! I tried the salmon and smoked cheese risotto at the Kosher-style restaurant Nonna Betta in Rome's Jewish ghetto, and decided that imitating this dish would be the best form of flattering its smoky, creamy goodness.
It wasn’t just Rome’s rule-breaking risotto that left an impression on me. As a lifelong Canadian I was struck by how everything was just so old and that is just so awesome. Everything you step on is historical – ancient, even! By contrast, in Toronto something fifty years old is considered historic. My mind was blown. Did you know that they have taken years to build a new subway line because every few meters that they dig, they find another artefact? Amazing! I couldn’t stop giggling when a tour guide told me that the Eternal City is like a lasagne – the Italians kept building layers of new stuff over the old buildings. Believe me, I would have eaten the entire city if I could.
I hope you will try this recipe so you can get your own distinctive taste of Rome. I added sweet peas to this dish to complement the smoky cheese and add a pop of colour.
Salmon, Sweet Pea and Smoked Cheddar Risotto
Yield: Serves 4 as first course or 2 as an entrée
1 raw, skinless salmon filet, about 300g (10.5 oz)
2 tbsp shallots, diced very small
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup Arborio rice
1 tbsp dry white wine
4 cups hot fish stock
½ cup fresh sweet peas
2 tbsp butter, cut into chunks
½ cup whipping cream
1/3 cup smoked Applewood Cheddar, grated
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano, with extra cheese shaved for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Season salmon filet with salt and pepper and bake for about 8 minutes or until medium rare. Allow fish to cool slightly and break into small flakes with a fork.
Heat fish stock in a small pot and season with salt and pepper. Reserve any liquid that the filet produced while cooking and add it to the fish stock. Cover the stock and keep hot, but not simmering, for cooking the risotto.
In a wide, deep sauté pan or large saucepot, gently cook the flaked salmon in 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until it has just cooked through. Add the sweet peas and cook until they turn bright green and any liquid in the pan has evaporated. Remove the salmon and peas from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan that you cooked the salmon and peas, gently fry the shallots in 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until they become translucent. Add the rice and stir until the grains are coated in oil. Allow the rice to toast slightly (you will hear popping sounds). Add the white wine to the pan and stir until the wine has just evaporated.
Cover the rice with a ladleful of hot fish stock and allow the rice to absorb the liquid. Continue to add hot stock slowly, allowing the rice to absorb the stock before the next addition. Reserve some stock to adjust the consistency at the end of cooking.
When the rice is slightly harder than al dente* (so not quite done), return the salmon and peas to the pan and stir into the rice along with the cream. The risotto should have the oozy texture of wet porridge, so if the rice looks dry and sticky at this point, stir in small amounts of the remaining fish stock until the grains loosen up. When the risotto’s texture is to your liking, stir in the butter and grated smoked cheddar and pecorino until the cheeses melt, and add more salt and pepper if desired.
Serve the risotto on plates or in wide, shallow bowls and garnish with the shaved Pecorino curls.
*’al dente’ is an Italian term referring to the consistency of cooked pasta or rice, and means tender yet firm to bite, or slightly resistant to the bite.
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