Tenuta Castello - Organic Risottos

In the fertile alluvial plain of the Po Delta lies the great rice plains of Italy. Tenuto Castello have been cultivating rice using the same methods here for over one hundred years.

The process starts in the autumn when they fertilise the rice paddies by ploughing in hay that has been soaked with organic material from the processing of sugar beets. In the spring, before ploughing and flooding the paddies, the fields are fertilised again using manure. Then in May, one month after the rice is sowed, specially trained workers called "mondine" perform manual weeding. After being hand harvested and dried the rice is double milled using traditional stone mills that leave the last two bran layers and part of the germ intact. This is widely regarded as one of the best risotto rices available and once you have tried it you will see why.

	Arborio (500g)	Arborio is the most commonly used rice, has a good creamy starch and is an excellent choice for most risottos.
	Carnaroli (500g or 5kg)	Carnaroli is the variety preferred by most chefs because of its exceptional quality and rich flavour. The starch in Carnaroli rice is particularly rich in amylose (24%) - a starch that gives it improved consistency, resistance in cooking, and an excellent capacity for absorbing condiments and flavours. It is the ideal rice for risottos that are not "sticky" but rather have separate and distinct grains and a creamy texture. Available in retail or catering bags.
	Vialone Nano (500g or 5kg)	Vialone Nano is a rice variety with small, rounded grains and a naturally lower starch content. It has a subtle herbaceous flavour and is the rice of choice, due to its shorter cooking time, in risotto with fish, crustaceans, and starchy vegetables. Available in retail or catering bags.