A fabulous risotto to serve even at a celebration: calendula and bruscandoli risotto.
If you also enjoy “foraging for herbs,” this is the right season.
One of the most well-known little spring plants that grow wild are the wild hop shoots, which here in Veneto are called bruscandoli. Every region calls them differently: aspargina, luartis, luvertèn, lavertèn, luperi, vidisone, vertìs, urtizon, bertüçi, viticedda, tavarini, vitarve.
The only thing for sure is that hop shoots are true spring delicacies. Sometimes they are confused with slightly more bitter wild asparagus, but bruscandoli grow along riverbanks or climb other plants along town walls on hills or in woods.
If you’re interested in wild herbs I leave you the link to a beautiful book by Annalisa Malerba, Erbe spontanee in tavola.
Ugo Foscolo in ‘Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis’ tells of a bruscandoli soup served at a dinner in a Venetian household, but the dish that truly honors bruscandoli is risotto.
Do you know them? Do you pick them? A small bunch is enough — no need to overharvest — and here are some ideas for using hop shoots:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Carnaroli rice
- 1 shallot
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 1/3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch pepper
- 2 small bunches bruscandoli (wild hop shoots)
- 3 calendula flowers
Steps for Calendula and Bruscandoli Risotto
Heat the vegetable broth. Peel and finely chop the shallot. After washing them well, chop the bruscandoli into small pieces.
This time I wanted to toast the rice dry, so I used two pans. In one pan I poured the rice and heated it over medium-high heat, moving it for 3 to 4 minutes until it becomes translucent.
In another pan, pour one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, add the chopped shallot and sauté for a few minutes. Then add the toasted rice and the bruscandoli, let them absorb some flavor, and start pouring in a few ladles of hot broth.
Add more broth only when the previous amount has been absorbed and continue like this until cooked (times depend on the rice; check the package). For Carnaroli rice it usually takes about 14 minutes.
Turn off the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and stir gently to cream the risotto. At the end add only two drops of lemon juice, a grind of pepper and the calendula flowers, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Plate and enjoy.
Tips and Variations
If you have leftover calendula and bruscandoli risotto, the next day you can transform it into rice balls or a mini sartù; you can also cream it with celeriac, or simply with extra virgin olive oil.
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