RICE AND PEAS.

They're the George and Amal Clooney of the dinner circuit.

It’s a lovely time of year to tread lightly with your food; to dance closer to vegetables than to meat; to use broth as a sauce, rather than a soup.

Welcome to my world, risi e bisi. This lovely, ancient Venetian dish of rice and peas is bound together by little more than chicken stock and parmigiano. It’s sweet and savoury, calming and comforting.

It’s a dish that’s gentle on the stomach, yet not so gentle that you can’t have a glass of wine with it. It’s not a risotto, and not quite a soup, but lightly soupy.

IT’S LIKE THE CLOONEYS, REALLY.

The reference to it being Venetian conjures up a few of the insanely glamorous pictures of Hollywood film stars at the Venice Film Festival that passed before my eyes this week. Yes, I would have to say that rice and peas go together like George Clooney and Amal Clooney.  As in, naturally, and rather elegantly.

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The trick is to make it look as if you are enjoying yourself, an art Mr Clooney has mastered (my theory being he did so by studying the work of Cary Grant).  I think my rice and peas look as if they are enjoying themselves while channelling late, great movie stars, don’t you?

# Carnaroli or arborio rice, please; vital for the requisite creamy, starchy outcome.

You will be tempted to cook more rice than is specified. Don’t, or it will absorb so much stock you will be horrified and then annoyed. Do, if you have a freezerful of stock.

# Make this with fresh peas or frozen peas; it doesn’t mind. If you have fresh peas, then add the empty pods to the broth and simmer for 10 minutes, let it steep then strain, for more pea-on-pea flavour.

Make it greener with a handful of baby spinach, or some sliced baby zucchini, or your favourite herbs, such as tarragon, sage, and mint.

# It needs a little speck or pancetta or bacon in it for contrast and saltiness. If you can get pancetta in a block to slice yourself, cut into lardons or dice it. If you can only get it sliced like prosciutto, crisp a couple of slices in a hot, lightly oiled fry pan, and break up over the top to serve.

Best method is two-fold: cook the onion first, add the rice, and then the stock, as you would for risotto. In another pan, cook the pancetta or bacon, add the peas and just enough stock to cook the peas, then combine the two pans to serve.

# Older recipes suggest adding the peas right from the start, but if you value the colour of green over that of grey, stick with my method.

Cracked black pepper is good. A splash of white wine into the rice, before you add the stock would also be elegant.  And a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil wouldn’t go astray.

# Eat with a fork, or my preference, a fork and spoon. It’s more elegant.

RICE AND PEAS

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1 white onion, diced, or 2 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced

• 150 g carnaroli or arborio rice

• 1.2 litres hot chicken stock

• 100 g pancetta or bacon, chopped or diced

• 250 g frozen peas

• Half tsp sea salt, grind of black pepper

• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

• 2 tbsp parsley, picked leaves or roughly chopped

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy pan and cook the onion or leeks gently for 5 minutes, without browning.

Add the rice, stirring well to coat.

Add 1 litre of hot chicken stock, stirring well. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate pan, cook the pancetta or bacon until it renders its fat (drain off if it’s a lot, keep if it’s a little).

Add the peas, sea salt and pepper, and a further 200 ml of stock, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Gently combine with the rice, keeping things lightly soupy.

Stir in the parmesan, scatter with parsley and serve hot. Serves 2 to 3.

Thanks for dropping by! And as always, thanks for your comments and suggestions. Special thanks to Terry for the chicken stock (giblet and necks), the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks to Salumi Australia for their Pancetta Affumicato, a cured and cold-smoked pancetta that inspired my rise e bisi. 

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to Elders past and present, and to the continuing strength and resilience of First Nations people, communities and cultures.