risi e bisi in a white plate topped with pea shoots

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Vegan Risi e Bisi (Italian Rice & Pea Soup)

Name: Vegan Version Rice and Bisi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 300 g Peas (frozen); 220 g Brown Rice; 40 g Vegan Bacon; 30 g Vegan Butter; 20 g Vegan Cheese; 20 g Pea sprouts (or parsley); 1/2 Onion; White pepper; Salt; 1 Spoon Extra virgin olive oil; 1 liter water; 1 carrot; 1 onion; 1 Celery; 1 Sprig Parsley; ½ tablespoon Salt

by Adriana Z. 19th April 2022

written by Adriana Z.

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Vegan Risi e Bisi (Italian Rice & Peas Soup)

Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano

Here is my vegan interpretation of the classic Venetian risi e bisi. With brown rice, frozen peas *, vegetable bacon & cheese topped with fresh pea shoots.

And now, after a year of waiting after the results from the survey on Instagram, I can finally present my very personal recipe of risi e bisi in a completely vegan recipe.

Let me know what you think in the comments or on social networks, please! It really helps me know what you like and want to see more of.

I absolutely love it: the freshness of the peas is absolutely perfect for the spring. The delightfully smoked bacon pieces, the crisp crunch of the pea shoot garnish and the salty vegan parmesan. Just an incredible mix of flavour.

* 90% of the time I prefer to use frozen peas rather than fresh ones. This is because frozen peas if frozen immediately after harvest they actually by the time you get them home retain a higher level of nutrients than fresh peas. In fact you lose more nutrients when you blanching food as the nutrients leave and are left behind in the water. This is why it is highly recommended to keep any water you cook your veg in and use it for your stocks. This is how you add flavour and nutrients back into your food.

Did you know that degradation of fresh peas occurs after only 10 hours from when harvested. After 10 hours the rate increases exponentially so quick freezing is essential to maintaining a strong nutritional value.

When I find fresh peas, this is definitely the very first recipe I think of. To pack the most flavour into the dish it is important to use the pods not only in the creamy mixture but also in the broth. This is the technique that would be used in the original recipe and we are keeping as close as possible to the original. Changing only where necessary to replace the animal products.

If you prefer to use fresh peas, all you have to do is shell them and add the well-cleaned pods to the vegetable broth, bring to a boil and cook for about 45-60 minutes. If using a pressure cooker simply half the cooking time. Then fish out the pods with a sieve, place them in the jug of the hand blender together with a couple of ladles of broth, and blend until smooth.

The ratio of peas to pods is about 1: 1, you will have to use more or less the same quantity of fresh peas weighed in the pods, or at most increase the weight by 10-15%.

Pro tip: If you bought fresh peas but can’t use them immediately, wrap the pods in a damp cloth or kitchen paper and place in the fridge. This step will allow them to preserve their nutritional and organoleptic properties for 3-4 days.

How to Prepare Vegan Version Rice and Bisi

This dense rice and pea-based soup is a dish that belongs to the ancient culinary tradition of the Serenissima Republic of Venice. It spread quickly to the flat inland areas to include the territories in and around Vicenza.

With the intensification of trade relations between Venice and Vicenza, agricultural products circulated throughout the territory and the peas grown on the slopes of the Berici Hills also reached the lagoon city, where they were particularly appreciated.

Risi e bisi, thus, became the celebratory dish of spring, given that this was the season in which the first pea harvests took place. It was offered to the Doge in the banquet hall of the Doge’s Palace on the occasion of the celebrations of the patron saint San Marco on April 25. (Source: Wikipedia).

I wanted to keep my vegan version rather faithful to the original in terms of preparation, but using both ingredients of only vegetable origin. I also wanted to slightly refine the ingredients to also increases the nutritional qualities such as using brown rice. White rice (vialone nano type) would be the normal rice to use in this dish.

Brown rice, as we know, contains more fibre and antioxidants, as well as vitamins and minerals, than white rice, which goes through a refining process.

It gives the final flavour a more rustic, almost “nutty” taste. In my opinion this give the dish a much more interesting flavour quite rich and more interesting than white rice Alternatively, you can use the traditional “vialone nano”. This is a small grain rice absolutely perfect for creamy dishes like risotto or for soup based dishes such as risi e bisi.

Frozen peas. Any that are of good quality, and that are collected and frozen at low temperatures within 5-6 hours of harvesting. Alternatively, you can use fresh peas, possibly picked during the day, and follow the preparation tips that I illustrated in the first paragraph of this post. Depending where you live you may be near a farm that offers you the opportunity to pick your own on the day, he in the UK if you are in the countryside there are farms like this that allow you to get the freshest food before they even get to the shops. I use frozen, I am in a big city and my choice of pea is the beautiful petis pois. It is a small pea and what I would recommend.

Vegan Bacon. You have free choice in this area. Simply pick the vegetable bacon that is your favourite or that is most easily accessible. There are multiple choices on the market now and many of them are good. An alternative is smoked tofu and an excellent replacement. Simply add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. If, on the other hand, you are not a great lover of this flavor, you can simply omit it. My personal choice was Vivera bacon bits, which are very popular here in the UK. In the past I have used that of the Oumph! brand (my absolute favourite vegan bacon which I used here when I made my Carbonara Vegan), which unfortunately seems to be out of production.

Vegan Grated Cheese. Also in this case you can use whatever you like best, from commercial ones or even self-produced ones, like this my aged chickpea cheese. I recommend one that has a salty finish.

Pea shoots. Rich in vitamins and mineral salts, as well as an excellent source of fibre, protein and folic acid, pea sprouts are the element I most love to include in this preparation. They simply pack so many different goodies inside them and they do look absolutely gorgeous as a final garnish. You can buy them in specialized shops (here in the UK they are simply found in the supermarket during their season), or prepare them at home from pea seeds, which are nothing more than dried peas. Traditionally “Risi e Bisi” is served with fresh parsley, which remains the perfect alternative to use if you want to remain totally faithful to tradition. But if you have access to these fantastic sprouts, give them a chance, and savor the refreshing, crunchy and salty taste they bring to this preparation.

White pepper. More delicate and complex at the same time than black pepper, it is by far my favourite for adding a light spicy touch to this wonderful and nutritious traditional Italian recipe.

Ingredients for Vegan Risi e Bisi (yields 2-3):

Peas 300 g (frozen)

Brown Rice 220 g

Vegan Bacon 40 g

Butter 30 g

Vegan cheese 20 g

Pea sprouts 20 (or parsley)

Onion 1/2

White pepper

salt

1 Spoon Extra virgin olive oil

… for the vegetable broth …

1 L water

1 carrot

1 onion

1 Celery

1 Sprig Parsley

½ tablespoon Salt

Method:

1. First we need to prepare a vegetable broth with a base of celery, carrot, onion. This is simply a classic broth, nothing super special but tried and tested. You can also choose to add any other vegetables you have on hand as well if you want. Bring to a boil, let it cook for 15 minutes and then add the frozen peas and salt. Wait for the liquid to boil again, then cook for another 15 minutes.

2. Then take the peas with a sieve and add half of them to the jug of a blender. Add two ladles of the vegetable broth and blend just enough to obtain a smooth cream/sauce. This broth is full of flavour and nutrients that were infused into the water from the vegetable when cooked. Leave the other half of the peas aside in a bowl.

3. Finely chop the onion, then sauté in a pan with half the melted butter and a drizzle of olive oil for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the vegan bacon and let it brown for a couple of minutes. This is when everything starts to smell incredible, it will certainly get your juices flowing, the beautiful and smoky umami of the bacon browning….. just wow.

5. Now it’s the turn of the pea purée and the vegetable broth which you will need to filter with a sieve if you have not don so already. Add about half of the vegetable broth and keep the rest aside, warm, ready to be added if the rice is required. We add the rice and season with salt and pepper.

A word of warning, but since each rice is different, I cannot indicate the exact cooking time that will be required. You will need to use the packet instructions as a guide and your also cooking experience to gauge just how much time the rice will need and whether to add more broth. Keep in mind that the result must be in between a soup and a risotto. Not too runny but not quite as oozy and “on the wave” as risotto.

6. Once the rice is quite al dente, add the remaining blanched peas and heat for another minute.

7. Then, turn off the heat and stir the vegan risi e bisi with the remaining butter and grated cheese.