Rice and peas, Italian-style

Hi, it’s time of peas, sweet and tender, typical of these months.

In Italy we are used to cook them in a lot of ways. For example they are the main ingredients of many soups.

Do you know risi & bisi? in other words rice and peas?

Rice and peas

You can’t imagine how many times we have seen this photo of ours on other sites!!!

Here’s the original recipe!

Ingredients / It serves 4

1, 0 kg (2.2 lb) fresh peas in the pods

200 g (7 oz) rice

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 3-4 pieces

2 onions

1 garlic clove

1 celery stalk

Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Butter

Grated Parmesan

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

To shell, pinch off the ends and pull the string down on the inside of the pod and pop the peas out. Put the peas apart.

Wash the pods and put in a large pan together  with one onion, the carrot and celery. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Season to taste with salt, lower the heat and keep on cooking for about an hour.

Let the stock cool and strain. Put apart.

Fry lightly the second onion and garlic (chopped finely) in olive oil and butter. Add the peas, let them flavor for few minutes, cover with the stock and cook for about 15 minutes.

Then add the rice, stir, season to taste with salt and cover with hot stock. Let all cook on medium heat, stirring now and then, adding other stock when necessary. Cook according to the time written on the rice package.

Add the parsley and  a bit of butter  a minute before switching off the gas.

Serve at once. Accompany with grated Parmesan in a little bowl. So everyone will be able to sprinkle on his dish if he wants.

In another version bacon is used together with garlic and onions.

We prefer our version without butter and grated Parmesan, a real vegan recipe. It tastes fantastic! It’s low fat and calorie recipe.

Read step-by-step instructions for our pea-and-rice  soup.

Greetings from Italy

Carlo & Loretta