Risi e Bisi — Spring's Doge's Dish

1. 01

   Pod the peas, save the shells

   Shell the peas gently over a bowl — you want tender, intact peas for the finish. Pile the pods in a colander and rinse them. You've just made your secret ingredient.

   ~15 min
2. 02

   Make the broth

   In a large pot, cover the pea pods with 1.2 litres of cold water. Bring to a simmer, add a pinch of salt, and let it bubble gently for 20 minutes. The liquid will turn pale green and faintly sweet. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing gently on the pods to coax out every drop. You should have about 1 litre of silky broth. Return it to the pot and keep it just below a simmer.

   ~20 min
3. 03

   Start the soffritto and render pancetta (if using)

   Dice the pancetta into small batons. In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or large shallow pan, cook the pancetta over medium heat until the fat runs clear and the edges are beginning to crisp — about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same fat, add the finely diced onion and a pinch of salt, stirring gently until soft and translucent (do not brown), about 4 minutes. If you're skipping pancetta, melt the butter here and cook the onion in that.

   ~9 min
4. 04

   Toast the rice

   Add the Vialone Nano to the pan and stir constantly for 2 minutes. You want to hear it clicking gently against the sides — that's the starch awakening. The grains should smell nutty, not toasted to brown.

   ~2 min
5. 05

   Deglaze and build

   Pour in the wine and stir until it's almost fully absorbed. Then ladle in the warm pea broth, one cup at a time (roughly 250ml), stirring frequently. Each addition should be absorbed into the rice before you add the next — this isn't risotto, but it's not far off. This takes about 18–20 minutes total. You're aiming for rice that's tender but still has a whisper of bite, and a liquid that flows gently around each grain, all'onda.

   ~20 min
6. 06

   Finish with peas and butter

   When the rice is nearly tender, stir in the raw peas (they'll cook in the residual heat and the warm broth — raw peas finish in under 2 minutes and hold their sweet snap). Return the pancetta if using. Now add the butter, torn into small pieces, and most of the Parmesan, stirring gently until the rice flows like a gentle wave on the plate. Season with sea salt and a fine grind of white pepper. Taste and adjust.

   ~3 min
7. 07

   Rest and serve

   Let it sit off heat for 1 minute — this allows the starches to relax and the whole thing to loosen slightly. Ladle into shallow bowls, leaving space at the rim. Finish each bowl with a small mound of fresh Parmesan and a turn of white pepper. Eat immediately, while it still flows.

   ~1 min

First spoonful: the rice gives way to your tongue without resistance, then the sweetness of the peas arrives like a whisper, followed by the nuttiness of the broth and a gentle salt-and-fat finish from the pancetta and butter. By the end of the bowl, you're chasing the broth with the spoon — that's all'onda doing its job.

• ·Don't skip the pod broth — that's where the magic lives. Boiling water is not the same thing.
• ·Vialone Nano matters because it's starchy enough to give body without going gluey. Arborio will work in a pinch, but it's blunter.
• ·Raw peas at the end, not simmered — they cook in seconds and keep their colour and crunch. Overcooked peas are sad peas.
• ·All'onda is not a suggestion: you're chasing the Goldilocks zone between risotto (too thick) and minestrone (too thin). The rice should flow gently when you pour it. If it's stiff, add a splash of warm broth and stir.
• ·This is a pea-cooking dish pretending to be a rice dish. The peas are the star. Choose the sweetest, freshest you can find.
• ·Pancetta or butter, but not both as the main fat — pancetta already brings its own fat. If you're using pancetta, use it sparingly at the end for finish.