Quick and appetizing, Apollo and Venere rice with peas is a nice way to present this grain on the table.
How much I like Venere rice… starting from the cooking and the aroma that fills the kitchen, that exotic, pleasant scent.
The Venere rice gets its color from the thin skin that covers the inner part of the grain, the pericarp, which naturally has this dark pigmentation.
Rich in nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium, zinc, iron and selenium, it is a complete food that lends itself to many recipes.
Originally from China, where until the 1800s it was grown exclusively for the Emperor and his court, Venere rice is today cultivated in Italy in some areas of the Po Valley.
Its name, dedicated to the Goddess of Love, comes from the fact that in ancient China it was considered highly aphrodisiac.
There are several methods to cook Venere rice depending on how much time you have.
When I’m in a hurry I prefer to cook it in a pressure cooker for about twenty minutes: here are the instructions for cooking it in a pressure cooker:
After placing it in a fine-mesh sieve, rinse the rice under cold running water.
Put it into the pressure cooker and add an amount of water equal to two and a half times the volume of the rice. Once the pressure cooker is closed with the lid, turn on the heat.
When the pressure cooker starts to whistle, lower the heat to minimum and allow 20-25 minutes of cooking. Then, drain the rice.
In this simple recipe you’ll also find Apollo rice, an Italian variety similar to basmati. However, they should not be cooked together for two reasons: first, Apollo rice cooks earlier than Venere and second, cooking them together the Venere rice would lose its color and stain the light rice.
Below are other recipes with long-grain rice:
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Apollo and Venere Rice with Peas and Radicchio
- 1/2 cup Venere rice
- oz Apollo rice (Italian)
- 1 shallot
- 2/3 cup peas
- 1 head red radicchio from Treviso IGP, late variety
- 1 teaspoon whole sea salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Steps for Apollo and Venere Rice with Peas
Cook the Venere rice in a pressure cooker, by absorption, or as you prefer. Do not cook it together with the Apollo rice; cook them separately.
Meanwhile, wash and finely chop the shallot and add it to a skillet with a drizzle of oil; let it sweat.
Wash and slice the radicchio into chiffonade, add it to the shallot and cook for about ten minutes without a lid until it dries well.
Steam the peas as well; they only need about 10 minutes.
When all components are cooked, mix the Venere rice with the radicchio in the skillet and, in another bowl, combine the Apollo rice with the steamed peas; dress with a drizzle of oil and salt so the mixture binds well.
You will thus have Venere rice with a little oil mixed with the stewed radicchio, and the Apollo rice gently mixed with the peas.
Assemble in layers in a square ring mold: Venere rice on the bottom, Apollo rice in the middle, and Venere rice again on top. Carefully remove the ring mold, taking care that the cube remains intact.
Serve immediately.
Tips
Store leftover rice well covered in the refrigerator until the next day.
