Matteo Fronduti of Ristorante Manna in Milan was the winner of the first edition of Top Chef Italia. He’s big and burly, and goes for strong flavors that strike a perfect balance – not exactly what you’d call “delicate” cuisine. He calls it “suburban cuisine” because the Ristorante Manna, a Milanese-style gastro-bistro, is in a working-class area outside the center, frequented by those who love haute cuisine and want substance with some pleasant surprises – but at a price that remains below €50 a person. Here’s his recipe:
’Nduja and stracciatella risotto
This recipe, which is now more than three years old, mixes the spicy Calabrian ’nduja pork spread with northern Italy’s most classic recipe: risotto. To balance the flavor and soften the chili’s kick, you need a smooth, fatty flavor, like stracciatella – which cools the heat and adds contrast. Smoking the stracciatella gives it that extra touch, which you can do at home in the oven. Smoked and spicy – two “ancestral” flavors – always go well together.
How to smoke the stracciatella
To make this recipe, Fronduti smokes his own stracciatella with cherry wood shavings. At home, you can get the same result by using the oven as a smoker – without having the house smell of burning wood. The liquid part of the stracciatella is separated from the solid part, the pasta filata. Place the solid part on a large baking sheet. Put it in the oven, at a lower level, then place a second baking sheet above with cherry wood shavings, which have been burned and then extinguished so they can fill the oven with smoke when closed. Let it smoke for about 6 minutes.
Rice with ’nduja and lightly smoked stracciatella
For the rice:
10 oz of Aquarello Carnaroli Rice, 4 oz of fresh butter, 3 oz of grated Grana Padano cheese, 2 oz of ’nduja, ½ oz of salt, 2 quarts of boiling water
For the garnish
4 oz of very fresh stracciatella
Preparation
Place the rice and salt in a saucepan over heat. Toast until the grains get very hot, then pour in boiling water until it’s covered. Continue cooking, adding liquid as needed. Keep the rice al dente. While the rice is cooking, smoke the stracciatella. Once the rice is cooked, stir off of the heat with butter and parmesan cheese. If necessary, soften with hot water and add a teaspoon of white vinegar to accentuate the acid note. Add the ’nduja. Portion the rice into serving plates, garnish with the liquid of the stracciatella by tracing thin lines, then add the smoked stracciatella in flakes.