The Risotto with Pannerone and Pears is a truly special main dish. The Pannerone or Panerone is a local cheese from Lodi with a strong and slightly bitter taste, not salty, produced exclusively by dairies in the province of Lodi. It is consumed all year round and can be served with polenta, with Cremonese mustard, especially in the fall/winter period, or creamed in risotto, but also in many other creative recipes. This cheese is well known to the people of Lodi, but also to the areas bordering the province of Lodi, such as Milan, Pavia, or Cremona. Today I propose it with the addition of pear pieces, and if you want an even richer dish, you can also add chopped nuts and a drizzle of honey.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 1 Person
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Local
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 500 ml vegetable broth
- 80 g Carnaroli rice
- 50 g Pannerone
- 50 g pear
- 30 g white onion
- 10 g butter
- 1/2 glass dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons Grana Padano DOP (grated)
- to taste lemon juice
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
- to taste black pepper
Tools
- Food scale
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Bowl
- Pot
- Pan
- Slotted spoon
- Ladle
Preparation
To prepare the risotto with pannerone and pears…
First, wash and dice a pear (I left the skin on for a touch of color on the plate), then place it in a bowl with water and lemon juice to prevent it from browning. Peel the white onion and chop it finely, then dice the pannerone as well.
In a pot, heat the vegetable broth (alternatively, the same amount of water and a vegetable bouillon cube), while in a pan heat the extra virgin olive oil and sauté the chopped onion.
Once the onion is softened, add the rice and toast it, being careful not to let it stick, then deglaze with dry white wine and let it evaporate.
Next, gradually add the hot vegetable broth and cook the risotto over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with the slotted spoon.
Towards the end of cooking, add the diced pears to the risotto, it doesn’t matter if the pears slightly break down during cooking.
When the rice is cooked, remove it from heat, add the diced pannerone, saving some for decoration. Cream the risotto with butter and grated Grana Padano cheese (if it is too dry, add a few tablespoons of broth).
Finally, decorate with leftover pieces of pannerone and a sprinkle of black pepper. Serve the risotto hot.
