26 May Search For the Perfect Risotto
Growing up in a Northern Italian home, pasta and risotto were staples of my diet. It wasn’t uncommon to have either of these dishes four or five times a week, so to say I’m familiar with them is an understatement. One of my goals while on this trip was to find the best pasta and risotto I’ve ever had. Throughout the first three cities in Italy, I found many good types of pasta. From pesto to bolognese, I felt satisfied that I found the pasta I dreamed of eating here. However, I could not say the same about risotto. In Rome, I didn’t find any places that served risotto. As we learned in our initial introduction readings, risotto is home to northern Italy, and since Rome is central,I didn’t give up hope. My expectations were higher for Florence since we were getting closer to the Swiss border. I found risotto al funghi at one of the places we ate at in Florence. The risotto I eat at home usually has mushrooms in it, so I gave it a shot. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations. The sauce it was in was good, but the aborio was far from fully cooked. To get aborio to be fully cooked takes hours, and if it’s not done right it’ll be hard and unflavorful. My search for the perfect risotto finally came to an end in Poppi. In a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Tuscan countryside, I found exactly what I was looking for. Risotto with asparagus and shrimp, a combination I have never tried, blew my mind. The rice was cooked to perfection, the asparagus and shrimp were in just the right amounts, and it wasn’t too salty. Although I’ll never admit that it’s better than my home recipe, I can continue this trip with the weight of finding a good risotto off my shoulders.
Aside from the amazing food, this town is wonderful. It’s small and quiet, unlike everywhere else we’ve been. The people are very nice and welcoming to toursits. For example, our waitress at dinner asked where we were traveling from, which didn’t happen in any big cities. I’ll be sad to leave tomorrow.
