Panissa alla Vercellese

Preparing the beans and broth

Soak the beans for 10–12 hours. Cook them starting from cold water with onion and bay leaf, without salting or with minimal salt.

At the end of cooking:

• separate the beans from the cooking liquid

• blend a small portion of the beans to add body

• adjust the broth to 6 g of salt per litre

Keep the broth hot throughout the preparation.

Preparing the soffritto (separately)

In a wide saucepan or pan:

• remove the casing from the salami and crumble it

• melt it gently starting from cold, without adding fat

• add the finely chopped onion

• let it soften slowly without browning

Add the triple-concentrated tomato paste and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until it loses its acidity and binds with the salami fat.

Turn off the heat and set aside.

Toasting the rice and deglazing

In a large saucepan:

• take 1–2 tablespoons of duja fat or the fat released during the soffritto

• add the rice and toast it thoroughly

When the grains are hot and translucent, deglaze with red wine and let the alcohol evaporate completely.

Cooking the Panissa

Add to the rice:

• the prepared soffritto

• the whole beans

Start cooking by adding hot broth gradually, as with a risotto. Total cooking time follows Carnaroli rice (16–18 minutes), but should be adjusted by texture.

The panissa should be:

• compact yet soft

• cohesive

• not dry

Resting and serving

Off the heat:

• a grind of black pepper

• no butter or cheese finishing

Let rest for 2–3 minutes before serving.

Final considerations

Preparing the soffritto separately allows:

• better control over tomato cooking

• cleaner rice toasting

• a clearer structure in the final dish

Panissa alla Vercellese remains a dish of restraint: rustic in origin, precise in execution.