Paniscia, the signature risotto of Novara, at Osteria dal Nano
Paniscia is the signature dish of Novara's cuisine: a rich, slow risotto with borlotti beans, duja salami and garden vegetables. Here it is not a special-occasion dish: it is the soul of the house, and it is always on.
When you can have it
Every day, at lunch and at dinner.
The soul of the house
Some swear they smiled at their first spoonful of paniscia. We won't deny it.
Our paniscia comes to life slowly, the way good things do. The rice takes its time, grain after grain, while the borlotti beans quietly melt away and lend the broth that warm colour that tastes of autumn.
Then comes the duja salami, kept under its own fat like a small treasure, releasing all its sweet fragrance.
Onion and celery sing together in the pan, savoy cabbage softens it all, one ladle of broth after another and a splash of red wine holds the party together.
Pork rind, lardo and — we tell no one this — the Nano's secret ingredient do the rest.
It is an honest, warm dish that tastes of a lit fireplace, of a long Sunday, of people who love each other.
We say it is the best dish in the world. Then you taste it, and you agree.