Risotto with Taleggio cheese and balsamic vinegar cream

• 10 minutes to prepare • 20 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

Taleggio dream

Here it goes the first Autumn risotto recipe for this year: a risotto with taleggio cheese and balsamic vinegar cream.

Taleggio is a fresh cheese produced in the village of the same name, located in Bergamo, north Italy. In the 10th and 11th centuries it was called “Stracchino del Valle Taleggio”, the name that every soft and square cheese used to have in that period.
Although there aren’t detailed historical references, we know the word stracchino comes from the dialect from the area (“stracch”), which means tired. These cheeses were produced at the end of the summer in the alpine valleys with the milk from the tired cows after a long back journey from the hillside pastures. But it would not be until last century when it started to be commercialised as Taleggio.

Things have changed and obviously, it’s not only produced in the mountains, but its characteristic smell and flavour are still so unmistakable that makes it one of the most appreciated cheeses in Italy.
Today we paired it with some subtle Vodka liquor aroma, and few drops of balsamic vinegar cream.
Marvelous, trust me!


Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

 

320 g Carnaroli rice 
50 g butter
100 g grated Parmesan cheese
1 l salted water
400 g Taleggio cheese
50 ml Vodka liquor
black pepper
Balsamic vinegar cream
salt and pepper

1. Pour 650 ml of water into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Then, add salt
2. Meanwhile, cut Taleggio cheese into cubes
3. Pour the rice into a hot pan and let it toast for 1 minute
4. Add Vodka and let it evaporate
5. Go on with cooking the rice, adding a spoonful of boiling water at a time, as for a normal risotto, (please refer to the cooking time indicated on the rice)
6. A few moments before the rice is done, add  Taleggio cheese, Parmesan cheese and butter stir to mix over low heat. Then, cover with a lid and let it sit for 2 minutes
7. Add freshly ground pepper. Mix well and serve immediately with few drops of balsamic vinegar cream on top!

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.