Ingredients
-
Parmigiano Reggiano Stock
-
1 kilogram 30 month Parmigiana Reggianograted
-
2 litres mineral water
-
Pepper Distillation
-
5 grams white pepper
-
2.5 grams Szechuan pepper
-
2.5 grams Jamaican pepper
-
2.5 grams Sarawak pepper
-
2.5 grams wild pepper
-
500 millilitres mineral water
-
Risotto
-
reserved Parmigiano Reggiano stock
-
300 grams Vialone Nano rice
-
Villa Manodori extra-virgin olive oil
-
50 grams Villa Manodori Essenziale black pepper oil
Directions
This delicious risotto dubbed cacio e pepe is a take on the classic Roman pasta dish cacio e pepe.
This dish has a history to it, revealed by Massimo on Chef’s Table. He developed the recipe after the earthquake that devastated the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy in 2012. During the earthquake nearly 1,000 wheels of the famous locally-produce Parmigiano Reggiano were affected. Local producers were in a dire state as they couldn’t unload such a large quantity of Parmigiano Reggiano in a short time frame.
Massimo came to help designing a recipe that quickly became hugely popular around the world and helped local producers sell the Parmigiano Reggiano in a very short time.
Parmigiano Reggiano Stock
- Put the grated Parmigiano and water in a large pan and slowly heat to 80°C (176°F). It is very important that the temperature does not exceed 90°C (194°F).
- When the cheese starts becoming stringy, remove the pan from the heat.
- Let it cool to room temperature. Reheat it to 80°C (176°F) again and let it cool.
- Cover and chill in the fridge overnight, or for 8 hours.
- The liquid should separate into 3 densities: a creamy Parmigiano paste on top, milky Parmigiano liquid in the middle and solid Parmigiano proteins on the bottom.
- Separate the layers.
- Strain the stock and reserve the creamy paste aside.
- Discard the solids.
Pepper Distillation
- Crush the peppers and vacuum-pack them with the water.
- Leave it at 20°C (68°F) for 24 hours.
- Place the liquid in a rotary evaporator and distillate at 24°C (75°F).
- Put the distillation in a vaporizer and keep cool.
Risotto
- Place the Parmigiano stock in a pan and keep it warm.
- Toast the rice in a separate saucepan with a little olive oil.
- Begin by moistening the rice with one ladle of Parmigiano stock at a time and stirring, as for a classic risotto.
- Three quarters of the way through cooking start adding a spoon of Parmigiano cream and the rest of the black pepper oil.
- Leave it for 1 minute to rest in the pan, still stirring.
- Pour the risotto on to a plate and flatten it, then spray the pepper distillation over the risotto to enhance the pepper flavour.
©Massimo Bottura 2012. Check out a selection of cookbooks by Massimo Bottura.