Roman grain risotto "Valbelluna" with pumpkin, salami and dried fruits

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion(s), finely chopped
• n. B. olive oil for sautéing
• 200 g emmer (winter emmer rice) or regular winter emmer, see note in text
• 100 g salami (ideally Salame Bellunese), finely diced
• 1 jar white wine
• ¼ pumpkin(s) (net weight approx. 350 g), in small pieces
• 2 handfuls of dried fruits (sultanas, plums, apricots, etc.), in small pieces
• e.g. vegetable broth
• e.g. butter flakes
• 50 g cheese (Piave), finely grated
• 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 could have been eaten in the region 2000 years ago

Dice the garlic and onion and sauté in oil. Then add winter emmer rice (a grain milled like rice) or regular winter emmer (not milled like rice, but soaked overnight) and the finely diced salami. Lightly toast everything. Finally, deglaze with white wine, then add small pieces of pumpkin and finely chopped dried fruit, stirring continuously until the liquid has reduced. Then, using a ladle, add a little more stock and reduce, stirring constantly, until the winter emmer rice or regular winter 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 and butter flakes. Season to taste, then cover and let rest for 10 minutes, which will make the grain risotto creamier. Finally, plate up, garnish with fresh seasonal herbs to taste, and serve. Best enjoyed with the remaining white wine. This is a dish that might have been eaten 2,000 years ago in the “Valbelluna,” the middle Piave Valley, along the first road across the Alps connecting Europe, the Via Claudia Augusta.