At Eremito, a luxury hermitage in Umbria, Enzo, the cook, starts work at 6:00 a.m. every day, arriving from nearby Parrano to make breakfast and get a head start on lunch and dinner. There’s a lot to do because four courses are served at both the afternoon and evening meals. What’s more, it’s vegetarian cooking, so it takes imagination and skill to add variety to the flavors.
This leek risotto recipe is one of his favorites. “I’ve already made a broth from our garden vegetables. I mince the inner layers of a leek, setting a couple of the green ones aside. I sauté the minced leek in a bit of butter and add the rice, calculating three handfuls per person. Carnaroli provides just the right tenderness. I toast the rice, stirring it with a wooden spoon, then douse it with a good quality dry white wine. Once it evaporates I add ladlefuls of broth, without stirring it too often, to avoid breaking up the grains of rice. Then I flavor it with saffron and salt to taste. Removing it from the heat, I add a handful of grated grana. I use ring molds to shape the rice, then decorate it with a bit of julienned leek and a sprinkle of grana.”
Photo by Matteo Carassale