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Panissa (Piedmontese rice and beans)

By: Emily Gussin
Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

Published: 29 Aug 24
Updated: 27 Sep 24

This rich, robust dish makes the most of Piedmont’s famous rice and wine, with plenty of salami and beans strewn throughout. Cooked like a risotto but with a firmer, thicker texture, it’s a beautiful dish, which deserves to be more well-known outside the region.

A huge region (second only to the island of Sicily), Piedmont is home to swathes of farmland, rugged mountains, vast vineyards and the city of Turin – all of which have contributed to one of the most gastronomic parts of Italy. Being based in the north of the country means truffles, beef and rich egg-based pasta dishes feature prominently in the local cuisine, as do chocolate and coffee – Turin is responsible for giving the world both espresso and gianduja (the combo of cocoa and hazelnuts that gave birth to Nutella). Discover everything there is to know about Piedmont’s food scene in our full guide to the region.

Easy
September 2024

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands-on time 50 min

Gluten-free recipes

Nutrition: Per serving

Calories: 822kcals
Fat: 36g (15g saturated)
Protein: 31g
Carbohydrates: 75g (6.9g sugars)
Fibre: 9.9g
Salt: 4.5g

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Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
200g salami, finely chopped or whizzed into a paste (see Know-how)
800ml vegetable stock
400g tin or jar borlotti beans, including their liquid
300g carnaroli risotto rice
2 tbsp tomato purée
300ml robust red wine, ideally barbera d’asti
100g parmesan, finely grated
20g salted butter
Parsley to serve
Bread to serve (optional)

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Method

Heat the oil a large hobsafe casserole or pan over a medium heat. Stir in the onion and a pinch of salt, then cook for about 8 minutes until softened. Stir in the salami and cook for about 4 minutes until starting to brown.
Meanwhile, heat the stock in another pan and add the beans, including their liquid. Keep warm over a low heat.
Stir the rice into the onions and cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly, until starting to turn translucent. Add the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute.

Pour in the wine and simmer for a few minutes. Add a few ladlefuls of the stock mixture to the rice at a time, ensuring the rice is always covered with liquid, and allow to bubble gently for 20-25 minutes, stirring constantly and topping up as needed, until all the liquid and beans are added and the rice is tender.
Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Stir in most of the parmesan and the butter. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Serve with the remaining parmesan and some parsley leaves scattered over.

Recipe from September 2024 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 822kcals
Fat: 36g (15g saturated)
Protein: 31g
Carbohydrates: 75g (6.9g sugars)
Fibre: 9.9g
Salt: 4.5g

delicious. tips

The traditional salami to use in this dish is della duja, which is soft and preserved in lard. It’s available from some Italian delis, but you can use a good regular salami, remove the casing, then either finely chop it or whizz it into a paste in a food processor. Try to find a salami that’s on the softer side, if you can.