Risi e Bisi: Venice's Sacred Spring Dish

Shell the peas, keeping the pods. You should get roughly 400–450 g of shelled peas from 1.2 kg of pods. Set the peas aside.

Place the pods in a pot with the litre of broth and 500 ml of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Strain, discard the pods, and keep this liquid hot over low heat — this is your pea pod broth.

In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot, melt 25 g of the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the edges are lightly golden.

Add the onion to the pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, for 8–10 minutes until fully softened and translucent. Do not let it colour.

Add the rice and stir for 1–2 minutes to coat every grain in the fat.

Pour in a ladleful (about 150 ml) of hot pea pod broth and stir to combine. From here, add broth in generous ladlefuls as the rice absorbs it — this is more relaxed than risotto and does not require ladle-by-ladle precision, but stir every couple of minutes.

After about 12 minutes of cooking time, add the shelled peas. Stir them in and continue cooking for 10–12 more minutes, adding broth as needed to keep the consistency loose and flowing.

Check for doneness: the rice should be cooked through but not mushy, and the consistency should be all'onda — when you tilt the pot, it should move in a slow wave. If it mounds, add a splash of hot broth and stir.

Pull the pot off the heat. Stir in the remaining 15 g of butter, the Parmigiano, and the parsley. Taste and adjust salt. Let it rest 1 minute.

Serve immediately in warm bowls. Risi e Bisi waits for no one — it thickens as it sits.