Risotto, for me, the Italian from Rome, is like Fondue for any Swiss. This Italian national dish, so popular in the North Italy and diffused in the southern part of Switzerland, has been mentioned for the first time in the written historical sources at the beginning of the 19th century. This creamy rice dish comes in a large variety and owes its consistency to the traditional way of preparation: not rinsed and not boiled keeps the starch.

More than happy with the result of our Sunday experiment, let me share the recipe with you.
The secret of Risotto pleasant malty taste and aromatic notes of caramel come from the addition of the Fermento Amber Ale, our extraordinarily balanced beer, where malts and hops harmonize at any moment of the tasting. The elegant taste, pleasant aroma, and creamy texture make this dish perfect. To enhance the latter one, I recommend adding Parmegiano and a little bit of butter.
And the most important: rice!. Quite several rice varieties can be used. We suggest Carnaroli or Vialone Nano, with the first being less likely than Vialone Nano to get overcooked. The latter, being smaller, cooks faster and absorbs condiments better.
Besides the classical pairing of risotto with wine, we encourage you to try it this time with Amber Ale that we used for cooking. The Risotto creaminess is well-balanced by the beer bubbles and the hop aroma of the risotto highlight by the beer itself.

Here is the result of Italian spirit mixed with the swiss beer, and the world of imagination.
Let this recipe be an inspiration for your experiments of taste. Enjoy and share the results with us in the comments.

En Guette!

Ingredients for four (hungry!) people

• Rice: Carnaroli or Vialone Nano; 320g
• Beer: Fermento Amber Ale; 1 bottle (33cc)
• Onion: 100g
• Parmigiano: 100g
• Broth: 0.5l
• Safran: 16g
• Olive oil
• Salt, Pepper, Thyme (to your taste)

Step-by-step

1. Prepare the broth as you like it. Keep it warm.
2. Add the Safran powder into a half cup of warm water.
3. And stir it.Heat the olive oil on a pan, and fry the onion gently until it is soft and the color turns to yellow.
4. Add the rice directly to the pan (without previous cooking) and fry it stirring all the time (for ca. 2 minutes)
5. Add one bottle of beer to the rice, stir it all the time until it evaporates and is absorbed by the rice.
6. Stirring add the broth, just enough to cover the rice. Keep stirring keep adding the broth little by little.
7. After ca. 10-15 minutes, add previously prepared Safran with Water.
8. Add the butter, black pepper, and thyme, making sure the rice is not dry. Ideally, when moving the pan, the rice should form the waves.
9. Add Parmigiano to the pan and stir it again.
10. Serve it with a sprinkle of fresh Parmigiano to your taste.