CHEF FERRON
MAKES RICE EASY
Italian chef Gabriele Ferron wants to save us all from the labour of risotto. His is the fifth generation to head up the family company, Ferron, and so he seems to carry an unparalleled passion for the grain.
Chef Ferron travels to Toronto frequently to demonstrate the purity and ease of use of his products. Ferron has created a career around rice, with a production company, two restaurants and an academy, which he hopes to extend to Toronto. This month he’ll be doing demonstrations at the Wine and Cheese Show.
“Rice is filling, satisfying, but also so basic, so day-to-day,” he said at his last local appearance, a lunch a Grano based around his products. Carnaroli rice is big and long and has a cerulean colour, while Vialone Nano is a semi-fine, medium-sized round grain.
Ferron preserves the tradition, using restructured versions of the original machinery that was built on his family’s land in 1650
The first course, a Risotto con Basilico and Parmiggiano Reggiano, started with toasting some Vialone in extra virgin olive oil, then adding the broth and covering for about 15 minutes. That’s right; you just leave it there, bubbling, without stirring the rice even once! The result was inspired.
Ferron preserves the traditional way of processing, using restructured versions of the original machinery that were built on is family’s land in 1650 and represent the oldest functioning whitening equipment in Italy. His products extend into pasta, polenta and flour.
“I have spearheaded a sort of revolution in my country,” he says, which includes a deep involvement in the Slow Food movement. And therein lies the dichotomy: 15-minute risotto, so you can spend more time living!
Ferron products are imported by F. Alonzi Wines and Spirits and can be purchased at Pusateri’s Fine Foods, Monastery Bakery & Delicatessen, Harvest Wagon and Totera Fine Foods or through our online store.
Risotto Up Close
Catch Gabriele Ferron at the Wine & Cheese Show from March 18 to 20. Info at to wineandcheese.com