Vercelli – the rice capital of Europe

Piedmont’s fame in the culinary world is effortlessly established by its white truffles from Alba and red wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. What tends to be overlooked though, is that it is also home to the finest rice in all of Europe. Over half of all rice produced in Europe originates in Piedmont and it comes almost entirely from the monotonously flat fields surrounding Vercelli, just an hour northeast of Turin.

Appropriately, Vercelli is also home to the only Michelin-starred restaurant that specialises in risotto – Cinzia da Christian e Manuel – better known as the Costardi Brothers. With beards that birds could happily nest in and an encyclopaedic display of tattoos, they look like they would be more at home in Shoreditch than a non-descript hotel near a traffic junction in northern Italy. However, they are deadly serious in their approach to risotto, offering tasting menus plus nearly 20 different risotto dishes all for £20 each.

Christian explains that it didn’t take much reflection to choose this path: “It’s very simple – we were born and brought up in the land of rice, so we have a responsibility to focus on it in our restaurant. Unlike in most restaurants, we also make a point of not demanding that it is not just served in portions for two people.”

Their approach is different to conventional methods – they don’t cook it on a base of fried onions or other products such as carrots, celery or even wine before the rice is actually cooked. Christian believes: “It is difficult when you add cold white wine to the dish as it creates a temperature drop, which stops the rice from cooking, so the grains crystallise and the inside is not properly cooked.”

They also only use vegetable stock in the cooking process and add further ingredients at the end to ensure that the risotto’s natural flavours remain the dish’s foundation. Their most unconventional dish is served in what looks like an Andy Warhol Campbell’s soup tin but is labelled Costardi’s condensed tomato rice. The base is of basil pesto and tomato infused risotto with an extra dollop of pesto on the top. Thanks to their first-rate ingredients and their careful cooking process, there is a welcome intensity of flavours.

Although it is possible to only eat the risotto dishes, it is so filling that after three you will feel like bursting. There are a number of other ambitious dishes, such as a fillet of raw red mullet with miso and grated liver on top or veal sweetbreads in Marsala sauce. All excellent but the point is to explore their risotto options.

There were three on offer on my first night – Carnaroli peperoni, acciuga e maggiorana (risotto with peperoni, anchovy and marjoram); carnaroli, bocconcini di coniglio, foie gras, crema di formaggi piemontesi e riduzione di vino (risotto with rabbit, foie gras and cream of Piedmont cheese) and Nuove Memorie – brodo di grana padano, grasso di grana padano e ghee – a sublimely simple dish of plain risotto with a jus of grana padano cheese and clarified butter.

The peperoni and anchovy were beautifully integrated into the dish, giving the risotto a touch of crunchiness. The rabbit and foie gras combination slightly overwhelmed the risotto element but overall was irresistible. Strangely, the most accomplished dish of the evening was the simplest –the plate of perfectly cooked cream coloured risotto with a spoonful of semi-transparent jus in the centre, a combination of clarified butter mixed with liquid extracted from boiled Grana Padano cheese. Its impact came from the simplicity of its smooth and creaminess with the mildest taste of the cheese along with a sensation of hazelnuts from the clarified butter.

It is possible to eat risotto with any number of wines but we were fortunate enough to have some of a stunning Gaja Barbaresco 2009 and an even more serious vintage Barolo Triumviratum 2001 from Michele Chiarlo. Both of them are from the Nebbiolo grape, which has the necessary tannic backbone to cleanse the palate after each mouthful. Nervi, a local Gattinara vineyard, recently acquired by renowned Barolo producer Giacomo Conterno provided a relatively cheaper option that was almost as good.

Visually, the region is not exactly exciting, consisting of endless saucer-like fields. There is however, a superb rice museum located within Riso Buono, the Guidobono Cavalchini family estate. Directly opposite, there is a world-class sculpture museum called Materima, founded by Turin-based gallery owner, Nicola Loi. When you have had your risotto experience, you can always drive a bit further and visit the vineyards or experience Alba truffles if they are in season.

Christian and Manuel Ristorante plus Hotel Cinzia www.christianemanuel.it

Menus from €70 – €130. Rooms (quite basic) €85 – €140