Dandelion risotto

The dandelion is an herbaceous plant that is most commonly found in damp, grassy areas and which has a host of medicinal uses. We use it here to create an original risotto that we pair with a Piemonte Sauvignon L’Aquilone 2021 La Gironda.

Ingredients for 4 people:

400g Carnaroli rice, 40 shallots, 80g butter, 10cc white wine (best it the pair to pair is used), 100g dandelions, 100g PDO Fontina d’Alpeggio, 80g grana Padano, 1l c vegetable broth and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.

Directions:

Finely chop the shallots.

Melt the butter in a pan and then add the shallots and a tablespoon of EVOO. Sauté at a low heat until the shallots become soft.

In the meantime, wash the dandelions and chop them roughly.

Add the rice to the pan, douse it with the wine and toast for a couple of minutes at a high heat, stirring it with a wooden spoon, then add a ladle of boiling vegetable broth and continue to cook and stir.

Add in the chopped dandelions, keeping a little to the side, and continue to cook, adding broth every time it gets absorbed. Continue this process until the rice is slightly undercooked (al dente). Turn off the heat and make sure the rice is not too dry.

In the meantime, boil the remaining dandelions for a couple of minutes then rinse with cold water so it retains its bright color. Mix with a little of the vegetable broth to obtain a creamy sauce to be used at the end to garnish the risotto just before serving.

Mix the rice off the stove while adding in the rest of the butter, the ground grana Padano and the fontina, also ground.

Let the rice sit for a minute and then serve with the dandelion sauce on top.

Wine to pair: 

(by Stefania Vinciguerra)

Piemonte Sauvignon L’Aquilone 2021 La Gironda

Pale straw yellow color, clean and luminous. Scents of white flowers as well as typical aromas of Sauvignon blanc including that of the boxwood tree, notes of exotic fruits, especially pineapple, lychee fruit and fresh notes of grapefruit. In the mouth it’s fresh, mineral, and savory.

Production area: the hills of Monferrato, in the Nizza area, from vineyards facing southeast. 

Grape variety: 100% Sauvignon blanc, from sustainable and environmentally friendly viticulture: no chemical weeding, no synthetic products, reduced consumption of environmental resources, manual management of all processing stages (from pruning to harvesting), minimal intervention in the vineyard and cellar. 

Harvest: grape harvest in the second half of August. Each stage in the vineyard is carried out with care, in order to obtain grapes that can give maximum results in terms of structure and persistence.

Vinification: Crushing, destemming and soft pressing, fermentation at controlled temperature. Soft pressing of whole grapes with separation of the flower must. Static decanting of the must and start of fermentation of the partially clear must at controlled temperature (ca 14-15°C). When fermentation is complete, racking takes place and the wine is kept at a low temperature to avoid malolactic fermentation and placed in the cold (outside in winter) to achieve tartaric stability. Bottling is done with use of lightweight bottles and eco-friendly sugar cane-based stoppers. 

Serving temperature: 8-10°C. 

Recommended food pairings: appetizers, both simple and more savory, fish dishes and velvety dishes. Also excellent paired with rice or pasta dishes with a delicate sauce or with vegetables and white meats. Try it with the "torta verde" of Nizza Monferrato.

THIS RECIPE IS OFFERED BY LA GIRONDA

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