If you answered Carnaroli or Arborio, you're on the right track, but you might need an update on rice with larger grains.*

Carnaroli is a rice from 1945, Arborio from 1946, but since 2022, there is a new rice with giant grains, perfect for risottos, and with a natural fragrance similar to Basmati. It's called GranCavour, the latest addition to the Italian family of risotto rices.  

Let's discover GranCavour rice together.

The bouquet of GranCavour rice.

First of all, GranCavour is the only naturally aromatic Italian risotto rice: a fragrance that is born right on the plant, reminiscent of bread crust and popcorn, like Indian Basmati, but also white flowers like jasmine, typical of Thai Jasmine rice.  

A perfect rice for risotto.  

In the kitchen, GranCavour is very versatile: it can be used in rice salads, thanks to its firm grains, as a side dish for more exotic main courses, but it shines especially in risotto, delivering excellent results thanks to its giant grains that hold up well during cooking and its natural creaminess. It has a long A grain, similar to Arborio, but even larger. The oval, pearly grain is typical of the best traditional risotto rices.

History and innovation.

Its name is dedicated to Camillo Benso Count of Cavour, a significant political figure in the unification of Italy, who also played an important role in rice cultivation. The Cavour Canal, an immense engineering and irrigation project built in less than 3 years and inaugurated in 1866, also bears his name. It channels the waters of the Po and Dora Baltea rivers into the rice-growing areas of Vercelli and part of Novara. The Count's agricultural estate is still located in the village of Leri Cavour, on the outskirts of Trino Vercellese.

How to cook GranCavour rice.

A new generation rice, also excellent for traditional risottos, it pairs well with ingredients that enhance its natural aroma, such as fish, shellfish, and fresh vegetables. Today, we're cooking GranCavour rice in a vegan risotto with carrot, turmeric, and almond.

GranCavour Risotto with Carrot, Turmeric, and Almond.

Ingredients for 4 people:

- 320 g of GranCavour rice  

- 1 onion  

- 2 carrots  

- 1 potato  

- 1 tablespoon of turmeric  

- The juice and zest of half a lemon (with edible peel)  

- Almond cheese (or Parmesan)  

- Extra virgin olive oil  

- About ten almonds  

- Salt

Method

Peel the carrots, onion, and potato. Cut them into large pieces and place them in a pot, covering them with water (about 500 ml). Bring to a boil and cook on low heat for about twenty minutes, season with salt, and blend. The consistency should be quite thick but not dry, as we'll need it to cook the risotto.  

Toast the rice in a pot with a wide base and at least 10 cm high sides. Add salt, deglaze with lemon juice, and pour in a couple of ladles of hot water. Stir and add more water as needed for 10 minutes. Add the still-warm vegetable cream and cook for another 7 minutes. Finally, add the turmeric.  

Off the heat, add extra virgin olive oil, preferably cold from the fridge, and grated almond cheese. Plate and garnish with coarsely chopped almonds and freshly grated lemon zest.