Pear and pecorino risotto

Posted by Dana McMahan on February 23, 2008

Pears and pecorino are a beautiful combination and they work well in most any pasta dish. I discovered the pairing when we made pear and pecorino ravioli at our cooking class in Italy a couple years ago. My home attempts at ravioli have had less than stellar results, but risotto is an easier and still delicious alternative canvas for these flavors.

Pecorino is a hard white Italian cheese made from sheep's milk. It has a long tradition in Roman cuisine and is said to have been a favorite accompaniment at imperial banquets, as well as a staple of Roman legion rations. Locatelli is the most common brand on this side of the Atlantic, and that's what I used in this recipe.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
1 glass of white wine (about 2/3 cup)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
Broth (about 5 cups, maybe a bit more or less; chicken or vegetable broth can be used)
2 pats of butter (about 2, 1 1/2 Tbsp each)
2 ripe but firm pears
Salt and pepper
100 grams of aged pecorino (about 3.5 ounces)
4 spoons of grated Parmesan (4 Tbsp)

Using a vegetable peeler, shave off enough curls of pecorino to decorateat the end. Grate the remaining pecorino.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.

Cook the chopped onion until translucent and very slightly colored.

Add the rice and cook about 2-3 minutes.

Add the wine to the rice and allow it to evaporate.

Add about ½ cup of broth and simmer.

Add the rest of the broth, about ½ cup at a time, keeping mixture at a simmer. Salt to taste.

Meanhile, peel, core and dice the pears. Cook in a separate pan with 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter until translucent and very slightly colored, season with salt and pepper to taste, and keep hot.

Simmer the rice until the risotto is creamy but the rice is still "al dente".

Mix in grated pecorino and grated Parmesan, together with remaining butter.

Mix in the diced pears, decorate with pecorino curls and serve.

TAGS: Pears, Pecorino, Risotto
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