Region of Novara, Lakes District, Ossola Valleys:
excellent products Rice
Starting from the Bassa Novarese and going North in this ideal tour of typical products, we can’t but begin with rice. The landscape of the Bassa region was shaped throughout half a millennium by the agricultural economy of rice cultivations, with its irrigation channels and hydraulic engineering, and, before the advent of technology, by the hard work of the “mondine”, the rice weeders. Here the fields become a sea of squares when they are flooded before the summer, the home of herons and egrets; they turn a brilliant green when the plants emerge from the water and then golden yellow when the wheat ears mature at the end of the summer. This cereal from the Orient seems to have been introduced to the Lomellina area in the second half of the fifteenth century by the Sforza family, thanks to the drainage works which had started in the Middle Ages, and the canals, such as the Mora canal wanted by Ludovico il Moro. Then the Cavour Canal from 1866 helped the agriculture of the Novara area take off, especially the rice cultivation. Which is why the most classic recipe in Novara is made of rice: the paniscia. Try it: it’s a delicious dish seasoned with finely minced lard, onion, and Duja salami, cooked in a broth together with beans, celery, leeks, cabbage and tomatoes. The rice is used for a great variety of recipes that range from soups to sweets. And of course the dishes with frogs. And let us not forget that, according to a popular saying, “rice is born in water and dies in wine”. The rice from the Novara area has always aimed at quality rather than quantity: this is the secret, as we are in one of its main production areas. Among the various types of rice from Novara we can mention: Arborio, a Superfino rice type that, among all others, is the largest and most pearled. It works well in risottos where the rice requires a longer toasting compared to other recipes, in order to avoid an excessive stickiness at the end of the cooking process. It can also be used to prepare sweet cakes. Baldo is a type of Superfino rice, slightly pearled and larger, which is preferred for the preparation of risottos for its superior ability to absorb the flavours of the condiments. The cooking must be interrupted when the rice is still “al dente”. It is very suited to the preparation of sweets and salads. Balilla is an Originario type, a small grain, very well known and versatile as it takes on aromas and flavors well. It is frequently used in soups, casseroles, fritters, croquettes, arancini and supplì rice balls. Carnaroli is considered by many a gourmet Superfino rice the prince of the kitchen when preparing risottos or salads. Its reputation comes from its ability to maintain the consistency of the grain after cooking even after some time, thanks to the high content of amylose, close to 24% of the total starch content. Roma is a Superfino long and wide pearled grain, which is suitable especially for risottos; it 49
