PARIGI, 5 GIUGNO – Zerri marinati dalla riserva di Biosfera delle isole toscane; un risotto al gorgonzola dalla riserva Ticino, Val Grande, Verbano: questi i contributi italiani al libro di cucina pubblicato dal programma UNESCO Man and the Biosphere in occasione della Giornata Mondiale della Biodiversità.
Il programma ha invitato le varie riserve in giro per il mondo a condividere le loro ricette più tipiche. Il libro di cucina solo digitale e’ un work in progress: sara’ aggiornato con altre ricette in corso d’opera ma intanto si puo’ consultare cliccando qui.
Ecco a seguire e in inglese la ricetta degli zerri marinati:1 kg of zerri (fish)
½ liter of white vinegar
1 glass of white wine
6 cloves of garlic
Flour
Rosemary Chilli Olive oil
Prepare the zerri by removing the scales, the head and the entrails, then wash and dry them. Then pass them in flour and fry in abundant oil. Salt them lightly and place them in a bowl to let them cool. Separately, prepare a marinade by browning the zerri in oil with garlic, chili pepper and a few sprigs of rosemary. Sprinkle with vinegar and white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Allow the zerri to cool and cover with the cooking liquid, leaving them to mature for a couple of days before consuming. This recipe pairs well with a white wine, like the excellent Elba Ansonica. Sustainable fishing takes place from early November to March. In April the zerri are reproducing and their meat loses its flavor considerably, therefore in this period they have no gastronomic interest.The zerri are fried and can be kept for a few days in a vinegar marinade.They are considered a real delicacy by the islanders.
Ed ecco il risotto al gorgonzola:280 gr of whole-grain carnaroli rice
15 gr schallots
30 gr extra virgin olive oil
1 cup white vermouth
100 gr mixed vegetables cut inlittle dices (leek, pumpkin,carrot, celeriac, beet, fennel)
1,5 l vegetable broth20 gr butter40 gr sweet gorgonzola (typical local blue cheese)
Salt and pepper from grinder to taste
For the beetroot sauce: 1 beetroot cooked diced15 gr of shallots 15 gr extra virgin olive oil salt to taste
Sauce: Prepare the beetroot sauce by cooking the chopped shallot in the olive oil in a non stick frying pan. When it starts to dry out, add the dices of beetroot and let it roast at high heat, seasoning with salt if necessary. Take away from fire and put into the mixer.Adding some vegetable broth, blend to obtain a quite dense sauce.
Rice: Add olive oil with chopped shallot in a saucepan and let the whole-grain Carnaroli rice toast for a few minutes, stirring continuously. Then simmer with white vermouth until reduced. Add enough warm vegetable broth to cover the rice, cook for 10 minutes always stirring it. Add the dices of vegetables and more broth, ifnecessary, to prevent that the rice sticks to the bottom of the pan.Beware the rice is whole-grain! It needs at minimum 45-50 to be ready! Taste the rice and add salt if needed. When ready add diced gorgonzola until it is melted and eventually add butter flakes. Mix vigorously to obtain a risotto with a creamy texture. Sprinkle with white pepper from grinder and put the risotto in four plates covering homogeneously the bottom of the plate.
The Authentic Carnaroli Rice, used for the recipe, grows within the San Massimo Reserve, a natural protected environment, rich in biodiversity,located in the Ticino, Val Grande Verbano Biosphere Reserve. More than a half of the farm is destined to the natural environment, mainly covered with forests of black alder of great and unique value in the context of the Po Valley; it has a rich biodiversity heritage, where raw deers and fallow deers dwell. (@OnuItalia)
