Roman grain risotto "Piana Rotaliana" with trout, blue grapes and Trentingrana

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• n. B. olive oil for sautéing
• 1 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
• 1 shallot(s), finely chopped
• 1 ½ cup(s) emmer (emmer rice) or regular emmer, see note in text
• 200 g trout fillet(s), cut into small pieces
• n. B. red wine (preferably Teroldego)
• 2 handfuls of grapes (grapes), dark, halved
• n. B. broth
• 50 g cheese (Trentingrana – similar to Parmesan), grated
• e.g. butter flakes
• n. B. Seasonal herbs

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

A dish that might have been eaten in the region 2000 years ago

Dice the garlic and shallot and sauté. Then add emmer rice (a grain milled like rice) or regular emmer (not milled like rice, but soaked overnight) and the chopped trout fillets. Lightly roast everything. Finally, deglaze with red wine, add half of the halved dark grapes, and stir continuously until the liquid has reduced (the more often and more vigorously the ingredients are stirred over the hot pan with little or no liquid, without burning, the more toasted ingredients are created and the more flavorful the grain risotto becomes—that’s why people say the more you stir, the better the risotto becomes, but it’s really all about the toasted ingredients). Then, with a ladle, add a little more stock and reduce, stirring constantly, until the emmer rice or regular emmer has the consistency you like best. When the grains have reached the desired consistency, remove the grain risotto from the heat. Stir in grated cheese, butter flakes, and the remaining half of the halved dark grapes. Season to taste, then cover and let rest for 10 minutes, which will make the grain risotto creamier. Finally, arrange the dish on the plate, garnish with fresh seasonal herbs to taste, and serve. Best served with the remaining red wine. This is a dish that might have been eaten 2,000 years ago in the “Piana Rotaliana” wine-growing region, in the very north of the Trentino section of the Via Claudia Augusta, the first road across the Alps connecting Europe.