Recipe: Risotto al balsamico

Recipe: Risotto al balsamico

10m Prep | 30m Cook

Last updated

Every bottle of Fattorie Giacobazzi balsamic is full of history, not just the years the onyx liquid has spent ageing – developing flavour, complexity and texture – but the generations of craft and expertise that has kept the storied producer at the forefront of Modena’s balsamic industry.

Fattorie Giacobazzi has been supplying authentic, premium balsamic vinegar around the world since 1988, but the family behind the company had been working at perfecting their balsamic – for their own enjoyment – for generations before that.

The homemade balsamic was used every day at the family dinner table or gifted to friends, but word spread and eventually the entire village was being supplied with the ‘black liquid gold’.

Today, the company that formed from those humble beginnings continues to produce their balsamic using the same slow, labour-intensive, ancient methods.

The world of balsamic vinegar can be confusing. Different consistencies and flavour profiles are suited to different applications. Aceto Balsamico di Modena vinegars provide a depth of flavour similar to Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, but with a more affordable price point. Made from grape must blended with wine vinegar and can contain a maximum 2% caramel.

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP offer highest quality. The production process takes years and results in an incredibly thick, glossy, flavourful vinegar. Made with Lambrusco or Trebbiano grapes and aged for a minimum of 12 years in several wooden barrels made from different kinds of wood to give a rich and complex flavour.

For this beautiful risotto recipe, we recommend a drizzle of the highest quality balsamic you can afford; the simplicity of the dish allowing the the rich complexity of the balsamic to shine through.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 shallots, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 1/4 cup verjuice (or dry white wine)
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt
  • Parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated
  • Reserva Balsamic Vinegar of Moderna, or similar very good quality aged balsamic

Bring the stock to a gentle simmer in a saucepan.

Heat the oil in a seperate, large saucepan over a low heat, then add the finely diced shallots. Stir until soft and translucent (5-10 minutes), add the garlic and gently fry for another 2 minutes.

Pour the rice into the onion, garlic and oil mix and increase the heat to medium-low. Stir the rice until well coated with the the oil, then add the wine/verjuice. Simmer until the wine is almost entirely absorbed into the rice, then pour in a ladle of warmed stock.

Stir until, once again, the liquid has been almost entirely absorbed, repeating with more ladles of stock until the rice is al dente. Stir in the butter, salt and pepper and a few good gratings of parmigiana reggiano.

Serve into bowls, finishing each with a gentle drizzle of balsamic and an additional grating of parmesan.

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