Risotto Vesuvius

The inspiration for Risotto Vesuvius comes from Bella Piatti in Birmingham, MI.  My friend and fellow gastronome Lisa L. and I were coming in from the Detroit airport, both ravenous.  Like any sensible person we checked out the restaurant’s menu online. Never have I been more certain of what I was going to order when I arrived: a sinister-looking plate of their “Risotto Mt. Etna.”

Well, as Woody Allen so famously said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”

We were crushed to learn that Bella Piatti’s Risotto Mt. Etna is a weekend-only special. We were there on a Tuesday. For just one night.

Still our server was kind enough to describe their dish as shown on the menu (second photo from top).  We’ve recreated it from that oral history and redubbed our version Risotto Vesuvius. (For some reason Vesuvius just sounds more volcanic than Mt. Etna.) 

So just what is it, che cosa è questo Risotto Vesuvius? A classic risotto nero made with murky, depths-of-the-sea squid ink, topped with a caldara of hot marinara lava issuing a smoke and ash plume of fluffy ricotta.

Or, in layman’s terms, black risotto topped with marinara sauce and ricotta cheese.

SpecD’s resident marinara maker Steve Russell whipped up a batch of his primo recipe, cribbed from Lidia Bastianich. Steve’s version doubles the amount of tomatoes and ups the basil a bit as well. Very, very good. Note  this recipe makes a big batch, more than you’ll need for Risotto Vesuvius.  It keeps well in the fridge, covered, for a week or in the freezer for a good long while.

The game plans is 1.) make the marinara, keep warm; 2.) grate the parmesan; 3.) whip together the ricotta and mascarpone and let sit at room temperature; 4.) make the risotto and assemble the whole thing right before serving.

Marinara Sauce
Recipe adapted from Lidia Bastianich
Makes 2 quarts 

1/4 c. olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 t. red pepper flakes

Put the oil, garlic and red pepper flakes into a heavy pot and cook for 2 minutes, until the garlic sizzles and begins to color.

Next:

Lightly crush and shake the seeds from two 35-oz cans of peeled plum tomatoes packed in juice (not puree).

Add crushed tomatoes and the juice into the pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a lively simmer for 15 minutes. Stir frequently. 

Add:

12 torn basil leaves, simmer another 5 minutes.

Keep marinara sauce warm until ready to serve.

Risotto Vesuvius
Recipe

3 c. clam broth
4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. wine (red or white)
4 packets squid ink
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. olive oil
3 c. arborio
1 c. ricotta
2 T. mascarpone
1 c. grated Parmesan  

Whisk together the ricotta and mascarpone. Add a little salt and pepper.  Let sit at room temperature.

In a large pot combine the clam broth, chicken stock and wine. Cut the ends off the squid ink packets and squeeze the ink into the broth. It’s a thick paste. Swirl the packets in the broth to rinse out all the ink. Bring broth mixture to low, low simmer.

In another heavy pot combine the olive oil, shallots and red pepper flakes. Saute the shallots for 3-4 minutes until the wilt and soften.  Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the rice is well coated with oil, 1 -2 minutes.

Using a ladle add the hot broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly.  Add the broth is absorbed add more, one ladle at time, stirring constantly.

Cook, adding broth slowly and stirring constantly, for 15 – 18 minutes.  The rice will not achieve a uniformly dark color until the very end.

Taste for doneness. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parmesan cheese into the risotto, mix well.

Heap the risotto into a medium-sized mixing bowl and invert onto a serving platter.  Create a well in the center and fill with marinara.  Top with a blob of mascarpone. Serve immediately.

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