# Coffee, Beer and Rice: Try the Risotto Stanley Tucci Called a Revelation

> The Costardi brothers of Vercelli make a risotto with Grana Padano cream, a beer reduction and coffee. Find out why Stanley Tucci called it a revelation.

- URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/kofe-pyvo-y-rys-poprobuite-ryzotto-kotoroe-stnly-tuchchy-nazval-otkrovenyem/
- Language: en
- Published: 2025-03-18
- Categories: Culture, Leisure, Restaurants, Hotels, Italy, Food & Drinks

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Piedmont, a region in northwestern Italy, is famous for its risotto. And the heart of this culinary tradition is the city of Vercelli, where you will find *risotterie*, restaurants that specialize in risotto, all over town. One of the best places to try it in the capital of Italian rice sits at the back of a 1960s tourist hotel called Hotel Cinzia. The restaurant, Christian and Manuel, is run by two brothers who give the dish a modern twist.

The signature version of risotto from brothers Christian and Manuel Costardi is a risotto with Grana Padano cream, a beer reduction and coffee. It is meant to evoke the flavor of a cappuccino or tiramisu, but as a risotto, all in a single dish. The menu offers a choice of 20 kinds of risotto, according to the Michelin guide, and the owner-chefs' one-of-a-kind creations have earned them a Michelin star.

Taking their cue from Andy Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans," the Costardi brothers playfully serve the risotto in individual metal tins.

"It completely changes everything I thought about risotto," Stanley Tucci said as he watched the dish being prepared during an episode of "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy." "It's a revelation. It's a thousand things in one can. Wow!"

Tucci's first encounter with risotto was his mother's risotto alla Milanese, which is featured in "The Tucci Cookbook." For the rice, he recommends looking for brands labeled as fine-grain Carnaroli. If you cannot find it, pick up fine-grain Arborio rice or Vialone Nano, which most supermarkets carry.

Tucci says there are two steps to keep in mind when making risotto:

"First, before adding any liquid, make sure the rice is well heated," he wrote in his cookbook. "This seals the grains of rice and helps keep them from overcooking. Second, check the rice for the texture you want after it has cooked for 12 to 15 minutes. Risotto can be served al dente, with a little bite to it, or with a softer consistency; the choice is yours... Just don't overcook the risotto, or it will turn into porridge."

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## Risotto with Grana Padano Cream, Beer Reduction and Coffee

**(Risotto con Crema di Grana Padano, Riduzione di Birra e Caffè)**

Use four clean soup cans for serving, or plates if you prefer. If you want to make your own vegetable stock, prepare it ahead of time. The Costardis suggest adding celery, carrot and a lightly charred onion to the stock.

At Christian and Manuel, the Costardis use Cervia sea salt from the Adriatic coast and Sarawak black pepper, which you can find in specialty shops or online if you would like to try them.

*Serves 4*

## Ingredients

4 cups | 1 liter light beer

3.5 ounces + ½ ounce | 100 grams + 15 grams Grana Padano (similar to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese), aged 27 months, freshly grated

1 cup | ¼ liter heavy cream

1 ¼ cups | 300 grams Carnaroli rice

Sea salt (medium coarse)

Freshly ground black pepper

About 12 ½ cups | 3 liters prepared vegetable stock, plus more if needed

1/3 cup | 25 grams cold unsalted butter

Ground coffee, preferably Arabica

## Equipment

A jam funnel (if serving in cans)

## Instructions

**1.** *Start with the beer reduction.* Put the beer in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let the beer reduce to the consistency of soft caramel, about 45 minutes. As the beer reduces, the alcohol evaporates and the remaining liquid takes on a concentrated flavor in which the spicy notes are heightened. Remove from the heat and let it cool (it is best to do this the day before; once cooled, chill it overnight in an airtight container).

**2*.*** *Make the Grana Padano cream.* Using a cheese grater or a microplane, grate 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of Grana Padano. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat to 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) and add the Grana Padano. Whisk the cream until the mixture is smooth, keeping the temperature at 100 F (40 C). At higher temperatures you risk not getting a smooth cream. If the cream is not smooth, pass it through a sieve and heat it at 100 F (40 C).

**3.** *Move on to the risotto.* In a risotto pan, toast the rice in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking the pan and stirring the rice until it sings, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the rice scorch. Add a pinch of salt and a little pepper. Keep cooking over high heat and add the vegetable stock a little at a time, stirring constantly after each addition and letting the rice absorb it. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is al dente with a slight firmness at the center of the grain, 15 to 20 minutes. The risotto should have a creamy texture. Check the seasoning and remove from the heat. Add the cold butter and the remaining ½ ounce (15 grams) of Grana Padano to the pan and shake it with a wave-like motion (see video) to work them into the rice.

**4.** *If you are serving in cans:* Place a little ground coffee and a few drops of beer reduction in the bottom of the can. Using the jam funnel, add the rice, the Grana Padano cream, ground coffee and beer reduction.

**5.** *If you are using plates:* Spread the risotto across each plate, add the Grana Padano cream, sprinkle with ground coffee and finish with the beer reduction.

*This recipe is provided by Christian and Manuel Costardi, the owner-chefs of the restaurant Christian and Manuel in Vercelli in Piedmont, Italy.*