Sparkling Wine and the King of cheeses come together to make one terrific meal

I learned this dish, Champagne and Parmigiano Reggiano Risotto, about two dozen years ago from Laura di Collibiano, the woman who’s helped to revive the production of the terrific olive oil Tenuta di Valgiano estate in the western part of Tuscany. She makes it, she said, whenever she has “leftover champagne.” The flatness is important—if the sparkling wine is still freshly opened the heat of the alcohol will dominate the dish.

Although it can understandably feel intimidating to make risotto if you didn’t grow up with it, it’s actually not very hard to do. The chapter on Italian rice in Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating will walk you through the whole process in a great deal of easy-to-understand detail. The three-year-old Roncadella Parmigiano Reggiano we have on hand at the Deli would be ideal for it!

INGREDIENTS: 

4 cups chicken broth (you may not end up using it all)

2 1/2 cups flat champagne or flat sparkling wine 

Rind pieces from Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional)

2 tablespoons butter 

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

1 cup Italian rice, preferably Carnaroli

4 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano broken into 1/4-inch chunks

2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley—rinsed and squeezed dry

Additional butter to taste

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground Tellicherry black pepper to taste

4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Combine the chicken broth with 2 cups of the champagne. If working with an unsalted broth, add sea salt to taste. If you have some Parmigiano Reggiano rind on hand, put a piece into the liquid. Bring broth and champagne mixture to a boil, reduce heat only slightly and simmer for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat slightly again. 

Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion in the butter until soft and golden (don’t brown or the onion will become bitter).

Add the rice, stir well. Sauté for a couple of minutes until the rice is very hot and shiny. Add the 1/2 cup of champagne. Stir until it’s been absorbed by the rice. Add 1/2 cup of the broth-champagne mixture. Stir until absorbed. Repeat the process over and over again until the rice is tender but still firm. 

The risotto is done when the rice is al dente, about 18 minutes from when it first went into the pan. Add a touch more butter and one last 1/2 cup of the broth-champagne mixture. (If you’ve used up all the broth you can use hot water at this stage.) Stir, yet again, then remove from the heat. 

Add the parsley and Parmigiano pieces and mix well. The cheese should still be in chunks—don’t let it melt into the dish. Let stand for a minute. Add salt to taste.

Serve in warm bowls. Top with the additional Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a generous dose of black pepper atop each bowl. Serves two generous main courses or four appetizers.

The whole dish can be made in under half an hour and you can probably play with your kids or do half your email while you’re stirring! The result is a great dinner! Because the two featured ingredients here—Parmigiano Reggiano and bubbly—are already so special, it’s a great way to impress company, or convey the import of any event. That said, you can just put it together for two on a Tuesday evening too!