These Risotto Napolitano Will Bring All The Traditional Flavors From South Italy To Your Table

Italy is one of the countries that most people dream of visiting. Millions of tourists visit its different regions each year, making it the fifth most visited destination worldwide.

There is no secret why Italy is a famous country. It is a renowned region, well-known for its architecture, history, art, culture, and food.

Italians consider food as the centre of their life and a fundamental part of culture and tradition. For those who love eating good food, Italy is a paradise full of authentic flavours and fresh ingredients.

A legacy of Italian cuisine

Italian gastronomy relies on family traditions. Most of their dishes have humble origins where local ingredients and simple flavours are the basis of every meal. In general, Italian cuisine means colours, flavours, textures and aromas in a perfect blend. Most common ingredients include aromatic spices, olive oil, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, garlic, onion, cured meats, pasta, rice, and wine.

This country’s cuisine is not highlighted as a complete element. When people refer to Italian cuisine, it implies a reference to 20 different cuisines, belonging to their diverse regions. Each of those regions has its distinctive taste and way of cooking its dishes.

For being practical, you can divide Italian gastronomy into Northern and Southern cuisine. The North is characterized by modernity with cosmopolitan life. The South is close to traditions and history.

This distinction is also remarkable in food preparations. Both parts reflect their neighbour countries’ influences. Northern cities are closer to Austria, France and Switzerland, and the food is mostly made with meat, butter, cheese, cream sauces, and pasta, like those from Greece, Turkey and North African countries.

Southern cities are near Mediterranean cities. The gastronomy is simple, with fresh components, and a bunch of herbs and spices.

More about Southern gastronomy

Due to its proximity to the Mediterranean coast and productive soils, most southern meals are based on seafood, fresh herbs, vegetables, citrus fruits, pasta, rice, dough, olive oil, pork, and lambs.

The most popular southern dishes come from Abruzzo, Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, and Naples. The famous Neapolitan pizza was created in Naples where tomatoes are grown in abundance.

Naples is also well-known for the use of rice as a staple food. Some of their typical rice dishes include sartù di riso, fior di latte, riso e verza, risotto alla pescatora, and risotto napolitano.

Cooking a Naples risotto

It is not a surprise that Naples has one of the best risottos in the world. Rice was introduced first to Sicily in the 14th century and continued its path through Naples. There, the bounty climate allowed the cultivation of short and medium-grained rice like Arborio.

Arborio is the perfect rice variation for preparing risotto. This risotto rice is a short-grain type with the ability to absorb liquid and release starch, which is ideal for getting the risotto’s distinctive texture. For more information on this type of rice, you may visit https://riceselect.com/product/arborio. 

There are countless risotto recipes, but if you are looking to taste a truly traditional Italian flavour, try these Risotto Napolitano recipes.

Traditional Risotto Napolitano

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 cup of dried tomatoes preserved in oil.
• ½ cup of chopped onion.
• 2 cups of water.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• 1 cup of Arborio rice.
• Olive oil.
• ½ cup of finely chopped chives.
• 1 tablespoon of chopped chilli pepper.
• 2 fresh basil leaves.
• 80 gr of grated Parmigiano cheese.

Preparation:

1. First, make a tomato broth by placing in a saucepan some olive oil while cooking at medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until it is brown. Incorporate peeled tomatoes, water, salt and pepper.
3. Cook for 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. In another saucepan, pour olive oil and cook at medium heat.
5. Incorporate Arborio rice and chives.
6. Cook for 10 minutes and start adding tomato broth little by little each time rice absorbs it.
7. Add basil leaves, salt and pepper.
8. When rice is done, take out the basil leaves.
9. Let it stand.
10. Serve with grated Parmigiano cheese all over the rice.

Risotto Napolitano with salami

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• 1 finely chopped onion.
• 1 1⁄2 cups of Arborio rice.
• 425 g of tomatoes.
• 3 cups of water.
• 100 g of chopped spicy salami.
• 1⁄4 cup of sun-dried tomato.
• 1⁄2 cup of sliced black olives.
• 1 teaspoon of dried chili pepper flakes.
• 1⁄2 cup of grated Parmigiano cheese.

Preparation:

1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and incorporate the onion. Cook until it is soft.
2. Add rice and mix.
3. Incorporate sun-dried tomatoes and water gradually. Cook until boiling.
4. When rice is almost ready, add fresh tomatoes, salami, black olives, and chili pepper flakes. Combine all ingredients very well.
5. Serve with Parmigiano cheese on top.