Legendary Dishes | Risotto al Tastasal / Risotto alla Veronese (vialone nano rice with seasoned ground pork, parmigiano, rosemary, cinnamon in beef broth and white wine)

ITALY

Tastasal is the term given to pork that is ground into a fine mince and seasoned with a copious amount of coarse ground black pepper and sufficient ground salt to give the meat a depth of flavour. The name derives from a tradition when butchers (and domestics) sampled the seasoned pork that was used to make salami, sausage and sopressa. In the northern region, around Vicenza, this mixture is called salami paste, because it resembles a paste after seasoning. Here they use it to make a sauce to go with pasta. In the low Verona plain they use it to make a risotto.

  • 1 litre meat broth
  • 320 g vialone nano rice
  • 300 g tastasal (ground pork seasoned with 15 g black pepper and 5 g salt)
  • 125 g white onion
  • 100 g butter
  • 80 g grana padano cheese, grated
  • 60 ml white wine
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed, chopped
  • Cinnamon, pinch
  • Nutmeg, grated, pinch
  • Rosemary, chopped small, pinch

Heat the stock and keep warm. Toast the rice in a dry frying pan, set aside. Melt half of the butter in a large frying pan over a low heat, add the onions and sauté until soft, about ten minutes. Stir in the rice and coat in the butter-onion mixture. When it starts to stick on the bottom, pour in the wine and allow to evaporate, then add the first ladle of stock. When the rice absorbs the stock add a second ladle, repeat this process several times until all the stock is gone. In a separate frying pan, melt the remaining butter, add the rosemary and garlic, stir. Add the pork, increase heat and fry quickly. When the pork is browned stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg, spoon on top of the rice, leave to rest for ten minutes. Stir the pork mixture into the rice, serve, dress with cheese.

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