As soon as I had the first bite, I was in love. This risotto is not included into the culinary traditions of my family: before last Sunday, nobody had ever heard of it, I must tell the truth!
The first time I tasted it was in the restaurant of a friend, Barbara – she propose it as extra menu dish to give me a try: I was fascinated from the richeness of flavors and from the way the taste of reed tripe was enhanced by the preparation and the rice. I had no idea of the recipe, so when I found myself with leftover reed tripe I tried to figure out a way to make this risotto, but in the end I discovered that my procedure does not differ much from the traditional recipe of Florence, where reed tripe is not only well known, but I would say celebrated, part of the culinary tradition of the city.

Let us see how to recycle the leftover reed tripe, or – changing perspective – how to make a slightly unusual risotto!

Ingredients for 4 people:

• reed tripe, about 500 gr
• celery, 2 stalks
• red onion, 1 (half for the stock and half for the risotto)
• carrots, 1
• ripe tomatoes, 2
• salt
• rice, 400 gr (a creamy rice to make risotto)
• extra virgin olive oil
• Parmesan cheese
• ground black pepper

As you can see, the ingredients are almost the same as last recipe for the making of reed tripe panino. Add all the ingredients in a pot of cold water: reed tripe – previously rinsed – celery, onion, carrot and tomatoes. Add a generous handful of salt.
When the water begins to boil, cook the reed tripe for about an hour, so that it becomes soft and gives all its flavor to the broth.

When an hour has passed, remove the pan from heat and drain well reed tripe, cut it into thin stripes of about 1 cm wide and 5 cm long.
I make risotto with extra virgin olive oil, but you can also follow the tradition and use the butter: cover the bottom of a nonstick skillet with extravirgin olive oil and then sautee the onion, chopped finely. Add reed tripe and rice and stir to toast and flavor the rice. Then cook the rice adding gradually reed tripe broth: remember to stir often, because doing so the rice will release its starch and become much more creamy, without the addition of ‘helping’ tricks!

Once cooked, add a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese and mix with conviction and strenght the risotto. Serve with a freshly ground black pepper.

Post di: Juls' Kitchen

Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: reed tripe risotto

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I’m proud to present you the first episode of the cooperation between Juls’ Kitchen – that’s me! – and Mettiamocilatesta.it, a project that will offer you from now on until February some good ideas for your lunch box, something that can feed and satisfy you, paying attention to ingredients’ quality and cooking process simplicity. This is our saying:

EAT QUALITY FOOD, EAT WITH CREATIVITY

Mettiamocilatesta.it – that means more or less use your brain – is a project that stress the mistake in cutting communication budget in this period of general crisis. We decided to cooperate to offer you lunch box of quality, creativity and healthy food! Let’s hit the first recipe!

::::: RICE WITH VEGETABLES :::::

Ingredients:

• Carnaroli rice, 80 – 100 gr
• zucchini, 1 medium
• carrot, 1 medium
• Parmigiano cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• mint or lemon peel

Put a large pot of salted water to boil and add diced zucchini and carrot. When water boils add – after 10 minutes – rice and cook according to packaging instructions. Drain rice and vegetalbe and season with extra virgin olive oil and mint – fresh or dried – or grated lemon peel.

If you have a microwave oven in the office, you can add parmesan cheese and warm your rice at lunch time, bringing your lunch in a colourful Tupperware! If don’t have a microwave, let the rice cool in your lunch box and add parmesan when the rice is cold, then mix again! Your lunch is ready!

All you need now is a colourful tablecloth to cover your desk. You’ll have a balanced lunch: proteins from extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese, vitamins and fibres form vegetables. Beside that, carrots and zucchini will flavour the rice without adding anything else. This is the proof that you can eat quality food if you just use your brain: less time, more quality!

Post di: Juls' Kitchen

Lunch box

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Ingrediens for 4 people:
basmati rice, 300gr
leek, 1 big (white and green parts)
shallot, 1 small
courgette, 1 small
savoy cabbage, 50 gr
egg, 1
cooked ham, 1 thick slice – 100 gr
peas, 100gr
extravirgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons
soy sauce, 3 tablespoons
salt, if necessary

Bring a stockpot of salted water to boil, put the rice in the boiling water and cook according to the indicated time on the packaging.
Slice the leek, the shallots, the courgette, the savoy cabbage and cut the cooked ham in little cubes. Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan or in a wok and add the leek and the schallot finely sliced, then add the cabbage, the cooked ham and the peas (better if already cooked).
Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the courgette is soft (but still a bit crunchy), adding at the end 3 tablespoons of soy sauce: season with salt only if necessary.
In the meantime, prepare an egg omelette, chop it and add it to the vegetables the wok.
Drain the basmati rice and add to the rest of the ingredients in the wok.
Sauté for a few minutes and serve immediately, drizzled with soy sauce.

Post di: Juls' Kitchen

Chinese Fried Rice

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