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A period dish

Rice in Broth

Rice simmered in a savory broth with saffron and cheese, a northern Italian dish that preceded risotto.

Serves 6

Rice reached Italy through the trade of the Mediterranean and was grown in the Po valley by the fifteenth century. Cooked slowly in broth and finished with cheese and butter, it became the ancestor of risotto, though the older dish was looser and more soupy.

Ingredients

Produce

  • 1 onion

Dairy & Eggs

  • 1 cup parmesan
  • 3 tbsp butter

Pantry / Durable

  • 2 cup rice
  • 6 cup chicken broth

Spices & Seasoning

  • 1 pinch saffron
  • salt

Method

  1. Simmer chicken or beef with onion, carrot, and celery to make a light broth; strain it.

  2. Chop an onion finely and soften it in butter without letting it brown.

  3. Add the rice and stir for a minute, then add the broth a ladle at a time, stirring as it absorbs.

  4. When the rice is nearly tender, stir in a pinch of saffron and a handful of grated cheese.

  5. Continue until the rice is creamy but still has a little bite, then serve at once.

Served at

A commonwealth imagined · London, England