Panissa (Piedmontese rice and beans)

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.

 

  • Serves 4
  • Hands-on time 50 min

Nutrition

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

delicious. tips

  1. 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.

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