I had previously posted the recipe for pincicarelli (you can find the recipe by clicking here) and, having many cardoon plants in my garden, today I decided to prepare risotto with pincicarelli. Pincicarelli (in Ancona dialect pincigarelli) is a typical dish of the Marche region, but particularly from the Ancona area, the city where I was born and where, as a child, with my grandmother who lived in the countryside, we would gather them and cook them in a pan. I remember she would put on me sturdy gloves to avoid getting pricked by the leaf tips. Once at home, she would put them in a basket, (called a crinella in dialect) and turn them (rotava) to break the tips. Once done, we would remove all the outer leaves with a sharp knife until reaching the center part, the bottom of the cardoon flower. In flavor, pincicarelli is reminiscent of artichoke but has a slightly firmer texture. They used to be found in local markets, but today this dish is not as commonly made, also because they are no longer available commercially.
RECIPES TO TRY
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients for Risotto with Pincicarelli
- 1 cup rice
- 2.8 oz pincicarelli
- 1/4 cup white wine
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- 1 tsp ground turmeric (level)
- 1 onion (small)
Tools for Risotto with Pincicarelli
- Cutting Board
- Frying Pan
Steps for Risotto with Pincicarelli
If you’re wondering what pincicarelli means, I’ll tell you that,
in Ancona dialect, the term pincicarello derives from the word pincicare or puncicare which translated into Italian means to sting. I assure you that if they sting, it really hurts. Once the cardoon bottoms are diced, soak them in water and lemon so they don’t darken. Then proceed with cooking as per the recipe above.
Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a saucepan, add the finely chopped onion and let it brown, then add the rice.
Let the rice toast for a few seconds, then deglaze with the white wine. Now add the pre-cooked pincicarelli, cover the rice with hot vegetable broth or, alternatively, with water and bouillon cube.
Also add the turmeric to the rice, which will give your risotto a yellow color without changing the flavor.
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and, if needed, add more broth. At the end of cooking, remove from heat, add a knob of cold butter, and plenty of Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve at the table.
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