Recipe: pumpkin risotto, roasted chestnuts and goat gorgonzola

A seasonal recipe with traditional elements that Chef Stefano Riva of L'Osteria dello Strecciolo in Robbiate revisits in a refined proposal that enhances its flavors

In Robbiate, a Brianza village that takes its name from the nearby Monte Robbio, mentioned by Carlo Porta, in the province of Lecco, Stefano Riva, after gaining strong bones at the school of great cooking masters, established his headquarters, opening L 'Osteria della Strecciolo, a name that appears as a kind of muted compared to the level cuisine that reigns in the place.

Other than Oste, here we are at higher levels, because Riva arrived there after having studied the cuisine of the great chefs for a long time. The momentum, just to name one, took place at the Miramonti Majestic Grand Hotel in Cortina d'Ampezzo which he then had as a consultant Walter Marchesi And if you please.

"Finding yourself in a brigade under the guidance of a master of Italian catering like Marchesi - says Riva today - is a debut of those that are difficult to forget, an uncommon event".

The next step was to go to work with Pierino Penati in Vigevano: a historic presence of local haute cuisine immersed in the green hills of Brianza, a creative cuisine with great flavour, prepared with quality raw materials, always attentive to the tradition of the roots which also transferred to a luxurious restaurant opened in South Africa. With Penati Stefano Riva begins as commis in the various matches (meat, fish, dessert). After Vigevano it's the turn of the restaurant Via del Borgo in Competition (one Michelin star).

But the great leap in quality in his training Riva accomplished by going to work for three years at Cassinetta of Lugagnano, three Michelin stars. "One of the best restaurants in Italy - recalls Riva - and the relationship with the chef, Enzo Santini, has always been optimal and constructive, marked by maximum availability on both sides". From three stars to three stars, Riva also lands in the great cuisine of Heinz Beck at La Pergola del Rome Cavalieri.

With this wealth of experience, knowledge, cooking techniques, and above all of gastronomic culture in the highest sense of the term, Stefano Riva decides one day that the time has come to deal responsibly with the market by opening L'Osteria together with his wife Stefania. of the Strecciolo.

It starts quietly with humility as the name it gives to the place is humble, but this is the virtue of great people. And today his Strecciolo is a certainty of balanced and refined cuisine, with a taste for contamination that knows how to compose matter and flavors in new variations without ever forgetting the territory

“In recent years – he says – the desire to experiment has led me to a continuous evolution with a single certainty: love and dedication to what for me is the most beautiful job in the world. The search for ingredients and techniques pushes me to constantly think and review my way of cooking.
Through colors and flavors I best express my emotions trying to convey them to my customers.”

The recipe suggested by the Chef to First&Food readers is based on this season's products, poor in tradition, but elaborated in a refined proposal that enhances their flavors

Recipe

Pumpkin risotto, roasted chestnuts and goat gorgonzola

ingredients:

400 gr rice carnaroli

20 gr chopped onion

70 gr cream

80 gr milk

100 gr butter

100 g grated grana padano

1 dl white wine

pepper as needed

vegetable broth to taste

Salt to taste

150 g delicate pumpkin puree

200 g chestnuts

100 g goat zola

Procedure:

for the squash

clean the skin and seeds from the pumpkin, cut it into regular slices, pass it with a brush with softened butter, place it in a container suitable for the microwave, cover it with plastic wrap and cook it at maximum power for 15 minutes. Drain any water, pass it through a cutter or through a sieve, season with salt and keep warm.

for chestnuts

cut the peel of the chestnuts, place them in a non-stick pan and cook them over a moderate heat until the peel comes off, peel them and keep them warm.

for the fondue

remove the rind from the cheese, place it with the cream and milk in a saucepan, put it on the stove over a moderate flame and continue to stir until it melts. remove from heat, blend, pass through a sieve and keep warm

for the rice

chop the onion, put it in a saucepan and brown it with 10 g of butter, add the rice and let it toast slowly over a low flame, stirring constantly, deglaze with the white wine, let it evaporate, add the vegetable stock a little at a time, continue cooking cooking for 7 minutes then add the pumpkin puree. bring to the boil with the grain which must still be al dente, remove it from the heat and mix it by adding the butter and the Grana Padano.