Risotto with pears in syrup and Remedium infusion n. 3 – Digestive

A perfect example is a recipe we featured as part of the live cooking show at RistorExpo 2022, designed and prepared by Wilden team chef Francesco Balzola.

The recipe is a risotto cooked by absorption of the Remedium No. 3 – Digestive , our herbal tea with sage and lemon and with fresh, sweet, round flavors, whipped with a butter flavored with the same herbal tea and served with a pear syrup and lemon zest, also flavored with Digestive.

How an infused risotto came about

You may not know it, but plants and herbs have always been present in the preparation of dishes: what has been lost is their functionality, especially when related to wellness.

Our recipe stems from a question that Francesco asked himself along with Nicola Robecchi, the founder of Wilden: “Can we somehow extract the benefits from Wilden blends?” We immediately thought of essential oils and flavorings that are soluble in water, in fat, or even in alcohol.

We felt that risotto was an excellent starting solution not only to demonstrate the versatility of infusions in cooking but to give a fresh note to a dish that is traditionally perceived as hot.

We substituted pure herbal tea for the broth: we noticed that the sweet notes of fennel and licorice from our Remedium n emerge overpoweringly in the infusion. 3 – Digestive, Francis suggests counterbalancing them with a savory touch given by anchovy fillets.

Why we chose Remedium infusion no. 3 – Digestive for our risotto

We started with Digestive for this recipe for its sweetness, freshness and roundness but also for its simple and immediate flavors. It is no coincidence that, in addition to the broth, we wanted to prepare another ingredient for our risotto: a butter flavored with our herbal tea, also added while cooking in the stir-fry.

We wanted to play with the concept of redundancy (in cooking and in food and wine a concept that expresses abundance, fullness, richness and smoothness): we wanted the herbal tea to be the protagonist and aimed for an explosion of infusion in every constituent element of the dish. For a more attenuated result, we recommend using it in only one type of preparation (either butter or broth or syrup, where the herbal tea comes out a lot): it’s up to you to hack the recipe as you like.

Ingredients

For the risotto

1 kg Carnaroli rice

250 g Remedium flavored butter n. 3 – Digestive

2 l Remedium herbal tea no. 3 – Digestive

250 g Parmesan cheese

3-4 anchovy fillets (optional)

salt to taste.

pepper to taste

1 lemon

For the pear in syrup topping

3 spinelli scipiona or spadona pears (indicated because they are very crisp)

200 g white caster or brown sugar

200 g of water

5 g Remedium herbal tea no. 3 – Digestive

Preparation

For the pear in syrup (best prepared a day earlier than the risotto):

1. we put 200 g of water, 200 g of sugar and 5 g of herbal tea in a saucepan and turn the heat on low-medium flame;
2. with a well-cleaned wooden spoon stir until boiling; the longer it is on the heat, the thicker it will be. We boiled it for 5 min and the result is quite liquid;
3. set the syrup aside until it is at room temperature and then strain it through a strainer;
4. We dice the pears and add them to the syrup. If you have a vacuum machine, use it to extract the oxygen from the pear and allow the syrup to permeate undisturbed.

For herbal tea broth:

1. we put a pot with 2 liters of water on the stove and wait for it to boil;
2. once boiling we turn off and add 10 g Remedium n. 3 – Digestive;
3. wait 10 min and our risotto stock is ready to use. One tip: When you soak the risotto, help yourself with a strainer to strain the herbal tea.

For the risotto:

1. we put a saucepan on the stove with 50 g of flavored butter: let it melt, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and add 2 soup spoons (4g) of herbal tea;
2. over medium heat, we add the rice and stir until it is well toasted and translucent, being careful not to burn the officinal of the herbal tea;
3. we give the risotto the first soak with the herbal tea: from here we count 16-17 min if you like it al dente, 1 or 2 min more if you prefer it well cooked;
4. we wet from time to time when we see the rice drying out-a good way to tell if it is not too dry is to move the saucepan around and see if the rice moves evenly;
5. After the cooking time has passed comes the most important part, the mantecatura! It is a quasi-religious operation that is done strictly with the heat off: we add butter and Parmesan cheese and stir vigorously so that rice starches, fats and Parmesan cheese bind and form cream that makes the risotto wave;
6. If necessary, adjust the salt;
7. After 1-1.5 min has elapsed, the risotto is ready to be plated.

Impiant

1. We place a ladle and a half in a flat or soup plate;
2. we give taps on the bottom of the plate with the part of the hand between the wrist and the palm-this will distribute the risotto evenly across the plate;
3. we place the diced pears in syrup in the center or well distributed on the plate (we recommend you drain it because the syrup is very sweet and very aromatic);
4. We chop the anchovies and place one or 2 small pieces near each pear cube-this way the sweet notes of the crisp pear will create a magical encounter with the enveloping savoriness of the anchovies;
5. We grate lemon zest on each plate and give it a twist of pepper;
6. We serve at the table and enjoy the explosion.

What flavors emerge from the risotto based on Remedium n infusion. 3 – Digestive

Our chef Francis is very precise in his description, “enveloping, sweet, round and deep flavors emerge that touch the deep sides of the tongue with notes of licorice with herbaceous but never bitter tips of sage, mint and lemon balm”-which are exactly those of Remedium n. 3 – Digestive in the first moments of hot infusion. We wanted to reinforce them with a bit of lemon zest: we wanted those fresh, pungent notes to remain firmly in place.

Pear gives crispness, freshness, sweetness. Another curiosity: this is a risotto with very little salt: the salt component comes mainly from Parmesan cheese and anchovy (optional here but ideally completing the dish with the right savory notes).

How to match an infused risotto

Digestive risotto is perfect with a wine with hints of acidity that dampen and degrease the sweetness of the Remedium plants (we recommend Barolo, Chianti and Barbaresco), with some Gorgonzola instead of anchovy or lampascione or, for extremes, a siphon of Remedium No. 7 – Detox o Remedium No. 4 – Hangover In which bitter notes emerge.

Another suggestion: for its sweet component, smaller portions or mini-tastings could be made. Or, we venture (and who knows, it might be a new evolution of the recipe!), even a dessert. The word is up to you: if you try this recipe, write to us on our social channels and tell us what you think!