Carnaroli Risotto Rice – 500 g

Acquerello Carnaroli. Aged risotto rice from Vercelli that forgives mistakes at the stove.

Acquerello Carnaroli is a risotto rice from the Rondolino family, which is stored as raw rice at a chilled temperature for at least twelve months and comes in a 500-g tin. No Arborio, no parboiled rice, no rice pudding.

Acquerello Carnaroli is a Carnaroli from the rice plains of Vercelli, aged at Tenuta Colombara, which is grown, stored, polished, and packaged on a single estate. Many people consider fresh rice to be better. With risotto rice, it is the opposite. A grain that has rested for a year cooks more evenly, holds its shape longer, and forgives an extra minute in the pot. This is exactly why many chefs reach for this tin.

A grain that becomes creamy while still retaining its bite

Acquerello Carnaroli binds the broth into a silky cream, while each individual grain remains firm and grainy inside. This is the quality that matters with risotto. Rice that only becomes creamy ends up as mush; rice that only stays firm ends up as dry rice.

Carnaroli is a long-grain rice with a high proportion of amylose, a type of starch that remains firm when cooked. The softer starch on the surface dissolves and makes the sauce creamy. In terms of flavor, the rice is subtle, slightly nutty, with a delicate cereal note. It carries the broth, butter, and cheese rather than overpowering them.

Anyone expecting a very soft, almost soupy risotto in the Venetian style will find Acquerello too firm. Vialone Nano, the rounder variety from Veneto, is better suited to this style. Carnaroli is also not suitable for rice pudding or sweet rice dishes; a round-grain rice is the right choice for those.

From simple risotto to arancini the next day

Allow 80 to 90 grams of rice per person as a main course; 60 grams is enough as a starter. After toasting, Acquerello takes around 16 to 18 minutes, depending on the pot and heat. Start tasting from the 14th minute; the grain should still show a light core inside.

The quality is most evident in a risotto bianco with nothing but broth, butter, and an aged Parmigiano Reggiano. If you want color, dissolve a pinch of saffron threads in a little hot broth and add it halfway through the cooking time. Beetroot, lemon with thyme, or radicchio with red wine also work well with this rice.

Leftover risotto can be shaped into arancini the next day. Cold, filled with a cube of mozzarella, breaded, and fried, the balls retain their shape thanks to the firm grains. With soft rice, they fall apart in the pan.

The rice also has its place outside of risotto. As stuffed peppers with tomato and herbs, it remains grainy after stewing. For a lukewarm rice salad with vegetables and lemon dressing, cook it in plenty of salted water like pasta and let it steam.

From experience: Do not wash the rice before cooking, otherwise you will wash away the starch that binds the risotto. The broth should be hot when it goes into the pot. Cold liquid interrupts the cooking and makes the grains soft on the outside and hard on the inside.

One estate, one variety, one year of rest

The Rondolino family grows exclusively Carnaroli on around 200 hectares around Tenuta Colombara in Livorno Ferraris. The fields are irrigated with water from the Dora Baltea, which flows down from the mountains of the Aosta Valley. The basins are flooded throughout the entire summer, and herons, frogs, and dragonflies live in them.

After the harvest, the raw rice is stored with its hull in silos at under 15 degrees for at least one year. During this time, the starch stabilizes, and the grain releases it more evenly when cooked. A small part of the harvest, about one percent, is even aged for up to eight years.

Around 1,200 tons of rice leave the estate each year. For a family business, that is a lot; for the global market, it is a niche. Every tin can therefore be traced back to the same plain between Vercelli and Turin.

After that, the rice undergoes processing in around twenty steps. First, a screw, called an elica in Italian, rubs the grains against each other until they are white. This takes longer but is gentler on the grain. Then, a patented process adds the germ back to the white rice that fell away during polishing. Despite this, Acquerello behaves like white risotto rice at the stove.

A tin that can sit open on the kitchen shelf

What sets Acquerello apart from other Carnaroli rices is the combination of aging, gentle polishing, and origin from a single estate. All three steps take time. This is reflected in the price, but also in its reliability at the stove.

The tin protects the rice from light, moisture, and kitchen odors, while looking good enough to sit open on the shelf. As a gift, it is ideal for hosts who enjoy cooking and understand risotto as a craft. Anyone who wants to try another Carnaroli for comparison can find it in the Cipriani risotto rice.

Rice that waits a year for its turn, so that your risotto will be perfect in the evening, even if the phone rings.