Risotto alla pilota is a preparation from Mantua, a city in eastern Lombardy, southeast of Milan. Instead of implementing the standard risotto technique whereby the rice cooks in the broth one ladleful at a time, adding more broth once evaporated, risotto alla pillota is prepared in one fell swoop – the broth is added all at once and the rice cooks in 12-15 minutes.
Its name comes from the pilota, who handled the pile, a mortar of sorts in which the rice was peeled and cleaned. Cooking the rice alla pilota allowed the pilota to cook the rice without having to interrupt his work.
This recipe incorporates an element of risotto alla milanese: saffron.
Risotto alla Pilota With Saffron and Frutti di Mare
Photo: Riccardo Lettieri; Styling: Beatrice Prada
Recipe: Joëlle Néderlants
Ingredients for 4
2 ¼ lb./500 g mussels
2 ¼ lb./500 g clams
12 oz//320 g Vialone nano rice
12 small shrimp tails
1 sachet of saffron powder
1 shallot
dry white wine
parsley
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
Prepare the broth
Open the mussels, clams, and clams separately in a saucepan with 1 Tbsp. oil, then set the shellfish aside. Filter the liquid and dilute it with water or fish broth until it reaches 2 ⅔ cups (650 g). Dilute the saffron.
Sizzle, toast, and blend
Sauté 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 chopped shallot in a saucepan for a couple of minutes; add the rice and toast over medium-high heat, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze with 1/2 glass of white wine.
Cook and mantecare
Add 2 ⅔ cup (650 g) of boiling broth all at once, cover, and cook over a very low flame. The broth should just quiver until the rice has absorbed it all (it will take 12-15 minutes). Finally, turn off and let it rest for 2 minutes, then season with salt and mantecare by stirring in ½ cup (60-70 g) of cooled oil with 2 small ice cubes, which add a little moisture.
While the risotto cooks
Clean, shell, and cook the shrimp tails in a drizzle of oil over high heat with a generous grind of pepper and a sprig of chopped parsley.
Finish
Spread the risotto on the plates, add the partially shelled seafood and 3 shrimp tails each, and serve.