Marco Bianchi’s recipes – GT Portraits

Marco Bianchi, science communicator and food mentor, welcomed us in his world with his typical contagious enthusiasm. After stepping through the gates of “Al Torrazzo”, his wonderful home restaurant on the hills of Piacenza, Italy, we entered a world where we could instantly breathe his deep love for food, for the animals, for the environment, and for life.

Marco sees coffee as a long-time daily companion, from the moment he wakes up to when he goes to sleep, to enjoy silently in the morning or during breaks with his loved ones, his friends, his guests. That is why we have asked him to find inspiration in this ingredient he is a true fan of, and to create two recipes which could represent him the best.

He jumped on his truck, immersed in nature, while his farm animals looked at him and the dogs were playing on the grass, and made us a flavorful and surprising coffee risotto and a ricotta coffee cream we immediately wanted to replicate once at home.

If you would like to do the same, here below you can find the recipes. 

The first one is an Italian classic, the “risotto”, with an energetic and unexpected twist. Trust us, it’s worth trying! 

Risotto al caffè 

Coffee risotto

INGREDIENTS

• 300 gr of Carnaroli rice
• 1.5 l of vegetable stock 
• 1 shallot 
• 1 cup of ristretto coffee
• 1 teaspoon of ground coffee
• 220 gr of Gorgonzola / blue cheese
• 80 g of grated Pecorino Romano 

RECIPE

1. Prepare a vegetable stock in a large saucepan with at least 1.5 l of water, your favorite veggies and salt to taste. Let it boil, remove the veggies and lower the heat to keep the stock hot, but not boiling anymore.
2. In the meantime, finely chop the shallot and let it roast in a pan with a good drizzle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. 
3. Pour the rice into the pan and let it toast with the oil for a couple of minutes.
4. Once toasted, add a ladle of stock and stir well to combine the flavors. When the stock is evaporated, add another ladle, and continue until the rice is fully cooked and softened. It might take around 15-20 minutes (depending on the type of rice).
5. Once ready, add the ristretto coffee and stir again.
6. Now, add the Gorgonzola or blue cheese, the grated Pecorino, and stir to combine well to melt the cheese and obtain a creamy texture.
7. Serve the risotto warm, with a sprinkle of high-quality ground coffee on top.

The second recipe is a sweet treat, that it’s so easy to make that you could do it any time you like. 

Coffee ricotta cream

Ingredients

• 500 g of ricotta
• 1 vanilla pod 
• 2 tablespoons of honey (or sugar, or icing sugar; for the ricotta) 
• 2 teaspoons of caster sugar (for the coffee cream)
• 2 cups of espresso coffee
• 1 tablespoon of ground coffee 

Recipe

1. Cut the vanilla pod in half, and extract the seeds. 
2. Add them to the ricotta and honey (or sugar). Mix very well.  
3. Prepare the coffee cream with 2 cups of espresso and 2 teaspoons of sugar, whisking with energy.
4. Combine the coffee cream with the ricotta. 
5. Serve in small bowls, and top with a sprinkle of high-quality ground coffee.