Italian · Venice · soup

Risi e Bisi

Name: Risi e Bisi
Prep time: 1 h 7 min
Total time: 1 h 7 min
Cuisine: Italian · Venice
Ingredients: fresh peas — 1200 g; water — 1500 g; short-grain rice — 300 g; pancetta — 80 g; onion — 100 g; unsalted butter — 60 g; extra virgin olive oil — 28 g; flat-leaf parsley — 20 g; parmesan cheese — 60 g; salt — 7 g; freshly ground black pepper — 3 g

Risi e Bisi reads umami 7.5, richness 6.2 and salinity 5.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian · Venice soup, about 1 hr 7 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 8.3 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.5 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.7 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.2 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.9 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.5 · Richness 6.2 · Salinity 5.6 · Sweetness 3.4 · Allium 3.1 · Funk & Ferment 2.5 · Herbaceous 2.3 · Nutty 2.3 · Smoke 1.8 · Bitterness 1.7 · Earthy 1.4 · Warm Spice 1.4 · Floral 0.8 · Sourness 0.6 · Heat 0.5

What's in it (11)

fresh peas — 1200 g
water — 1500 g
short-grain rice — 300 g
pancetta — 80 g
onion — 100 g
unsalted butter — 60 g
extra virgin olive oil — 28 g
flat-leaf parsley — 20 g
parmesan cheese — 60 g
salt — 7 g
freshly ground black pepper — 3 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 7 min · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 81.8 kcal, 3.4 g protein, 3.3 g fat, 12.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Shell the peas and put the pods into the water with 1 tsp of the salt. Simmer 30 minutes, then blitz briefly and strain hard through a sieve, pressing to get everything out. This green pod broth is what makes risi e bisi taste of peas all the way through rather than only in bites, and it costs nothing.
This is not a risotto and not a soup but the thing in between the Venetians call all'onda, on the wave: it should ripple when you tip the bowl, and it is eaten with a spoon. On 25 April, the feast of St Mark, the Doge was served it first of everything.
Melt half the butter with the olive oil in a wide pan and cook the pancetta over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until the fat runs. Add the onion and sweat 8 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the parsley and the shelled peas and turn them in the fat for 3 minutes. If the peas are young and small keep them whole; if they are large and starchy give them 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice and let it toast for 2 minutes, until the grains look glassy at the edges. Vialone Nano is the Veneto rice for this: it releases starch fast and stays looser than Carnaroli.
Pour in the hot pod broth all at once, not ladle by ladle, add the remaining salt, and cook at a steady simmer for 15 to 17 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Keep it much wetter than a risotto; add hot water if it tightens.
Off the heat, beat in the remaining butter, the Parmigiano and the pepper and let it stand 2 minutes. It should be soupy enough to spread slowly across a warm plate. Serve at once.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Erbazzone Reggiano — Italian · Emilia-Romagna
Tortellini in Brodo — Italian · Emilia-Romagna
Chicken Fried Rice — Chinese-American
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo — Italian-American
Lasagna al Forno — Italian

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.