Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Risi e Bisi

Those peas, those peas. This right here is honestly why I bought the chicken, notwithstanding the crispy, wife-pleasing goodness of the roasted bird. The carcass made an excellent broth, and we all picked peas (Milo is very good at picking, but eats them all) plus salad and herbs. Super simple risotto ensued, flavored with the peas tossed in at the very last minute, plus parsley, parmigiano, and truffle oil. I made the risotto on the wet side, according to tradition and the aforementioned wife, who is after all half Italian as opposed to my zero percent (don't let the URL fool you.) Milo asked for extra truffle oil on his rice. That's my boy.

On the side, a perfect salad, featuring our new official house vinaigrette of walnut oil and sherry vinegar, which is nutty, sharp, and rich, yet transparent so the character of all the different greens and herbs can shine through; today's offering included mesclun, mustard, mizuna, parsley, cilantro, nasturtium, dill, shiso, and chive. To match the dinner, a 2005 Les Domaniers de Puits Moret which is bottled under the Domaines Ott label but isn't an estate wine. As a result, it costs about 10 bucks less and delivers a nice, crisp, pale pink accompaniment to this kind of food.

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