Patent Description:
Risotto is a typical first course of the Italian cuisine, originating in the region of Veneto and then spreading throughout Northern Italy and now widespread in numerous versions throughout the country and also abroad.

The preparation of a classic risotto is well known in both hotel and home environments.

The preparation process of risotto ideally comprises a first step for preparing chopped onion, which is then stewed together with the rice. The mixture obtained is normally blended with white wine, until the alcohol has completely evaporated. In a second moment, a quantity of broth is added little by little to the toasted and blended rice, as required, until absorption, and cooking the rice for about <NUM>-<NUM> minutes.

Depending on the dressing chosen for the risotto, this is added before or during the addition of the broth.

Finally, there is the final step for adding cheese and butter and the risotto is left to rest for about <NUM> minutes in a covered pot.

This whole process requires time, precision in adding ingredients and manual skill in dosing the water during cooking and mixing during creaming.

The greatest difficulty in the preparation of a perfect risotto is to obtain the right final creaminess.

When the final result is a risotto that is neither too dry nor too brothy, but dense and creamy at the right point, it is called "wave risotto".

The name derives from the movement of the rice when, at the end of cooking, the pot is moved with a sharp blow, which is in fact a kind of wave. In practice, the rice folds over itself. When it is time to be served, it will therefore delicately follow the inclination of the plate.

In order to obtain a perfect wave rice, fats must be added (such as butter and cheese) at the end of cooking. These fats create an emulsion with the starch released by the rice, which makes the resulting risotto creamy.

This step is commonly called "creaming" and is probably the most important and delicate step in the preparation of a risotto.

The creaming must be effected with the heat off and without stirring, but "pushing" the pot backwards and forwards making the rice fold over itself, creating the waves, and in the meantime incorporating the butter and cheese into the rice.

It is specifically due to the delicacy of this step, that it is difficult to reach a satisfactory and reproducible result at home.

All the more reason, on a large scale, in the catering field, where large quantities of product must be supplied with optimal characteristics in a short time, there is a need for optimizing the rice preparation phase and, in particular, the more important creaming step.

Furthermore, again in the catering industry, the not always adequate preparation of the kitchen staff due, among other reasons, to the high costs of professionals in the field, makes it even more complex to obtain a high-quality product, especially when dealing with a dish that requires long preparation times and precision, such as risotto.

An example of a dressing for risottos is described in the document "<NPL>) relating to a dressing marketed in Portugal, generally comprising Barbera wine, parmesan cheese, water, onions, acidifiers, modified starches and other components.

In light of all of these issues, in the catering field, the reproducibility of the final product is often compromised, with the consequence of not being able to always guarantee the customer a high-quality wave risotto.

In order to overcome the limitations of the known techniques for preparing risottos, the need was still felt for a product that was simple to make and use, which would allow a reproducible and immediate high-quality product to be obtained, both at home and in the catering field, with simplicity and immediacy, without renouncing the variety of flavours and ingredients.

In the light of the limitations and difficulties of the classical method of preparing risottos, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a food composition and a preparation method that uses it, which allows even inexperienced people to obtain wave risottos in a fast, direct and simple way, with a quality result that is always valid and reproducible.

This objective is achieved with the present invention, which in a first aspect relates to a composition for the preparation of instant dressings for rice, comprising:.

In a further aspect, the invention relates to the procedure for obtaining said composition and said dressing, and in a last aspect a procedure for preparing an instant wave risotto The invention is defined by the appended set of claims.

The composition of the invention is to be used as a base with which it is possible to prepare instant rice dressings with different flavours, and allows, both at home and in the catering field, a reproducible and immediate high-quality wave risotto to be obtained with simplicity and immediacy, without having to renounce the variety of flavours and ingredients, following a delicate but essential creaming step for the final result.

The following terms are used in the present invention:.

In a first aspect, the invention relates to a composition comprising: rice starch gel, centrifuged and/or surfacing butter, a cheese selected from Grana Padano PDO and Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (Parmesan cheese), an acidity regulator selected from sour butter and wine vinegar, salt and optionally one or more ingredients chosen from garlic, meat sotck, meat extract and vegetable extract.

Starch is an organic compound belonging to the class of carbohydrates (or polysaccharide carbohydrate) characterized by a large number of polymerized glucose units. This compound is commonly contained in various foods, and there are therefore numerous types of starch, such as corn starch, potato starch, rice starch.

In nature, starch has a semi-crystalline arrangement in the granules, which determines its almost total insolubility in water at room temperature.

Partial solubilization is possible however through an increase in temperature and the addition of water, which leads to the formation of a gel.

The gelatinization of starch also causes a change in the digestibility of starch: the crystalline form is difficult to attack by starch enzymes (such as α-amylase and β-amylase), whereas gelatinized starch is even more so as a consequence of the structural disorganization that has taken place.

Unlike other starches, rice starch, which appears as a very fine white powder, already has a greater solubility in water without the formation of lumps, its use in the form of a gel therefore makes it a fundamental component in the production of a nutritional composition for an instant risotto dressing.

Rice starch is a polysaccharide obtained from rice flour that is used in cooking especially as a thickener, and can be easily found as it is widely available commercially. Rice starch can also be prepared from rice as part of the production process of the composition of the invention, as described hereunder.

An advantage of choosing rice starch with respect to other types of starch available on the market, specifically corn starch and potato starch, is the absence of gluten, therefore the possibility of being able to extend its use in the kitchen even in the presence of various food allergies, such as celiac disease.

Furthermore, said specific starch does not affect the flavour of the final product, having an almost totally neutral flavour and, compared to any other type of starch, it is particularly suitable when it comes to its specific use for the preparation of risottos.

Rice starch gel, used as the main ingredient in the composition of the invention, is obtained by simply cooking the rice starch in a quantity of water from <NUM> to <NUM> times the weight of the starch.

The second ingredient necessary for the purposes of the present invention is butter, as the first source of fat, capable of imparting taste and creaminess. As already specified, said butter can alternatively be centrifuged and/or surfaced, depending on availability. Both types are widely available on the market. Said component is present in the food composition in quantities ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight.

A second source of fat, necessary for the food composition of the invention, is cheese, chosen from Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (Parmesan cheese) and Grana Padano DOP. It helps, in fact, to regulate the acidity and creaminess of the final product, providing the fat component necessary for a good wave risotto during the creaming phase.

The amount of cheese to be added to the food composition according to the invention ranges from <NUM> to <NUM>, preferably from <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight.

Another ingredient necessary for the composition is the acidity regulator, which balances the taste of the rice, providing it with the right balance between acidity and creaminess.

Said acidity regulator is chosen from the group consisting of sour butter and white wine vinegar.

In one embodiment, the acidity regulator is sour butter and, as already described above and as will be evident from the examples, said sour butter is a specific emulsion of butter, onion and wine vinegar. Sour butter is present in the food composition in quantities ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>, preferably from <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight.

In a different embodiment, the acidity regulator is wine vinegar in a quantity ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>, preferably from <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight.

The acidity regulator is preferably sour butter when centrifuged butter is used and the acidity regulator is wine vinegar when surfacing butter is used.

In order to control the flavour of the composition, salt must be added in a quantity ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> and preferably equal to <NUM> parts by weight.

One or more ingredients selected from garlic, meat stock, meat extract and vegetable extract can then be optionally added to the composition of the invention. The choice of these additional ingredients depends on the desired taste of the food composition of the invention, as will appear evident from the Examples of the preparations of the individual compositions.

When one or more of these optional ingredients are used, garlic is used in an amount ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight, the meat stock in an amount ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight, the meat extract in an amount ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight and the vegetable extract in an amount ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight.

Meat stock is an ingredient that can be prepared by cooking bones with marrow or non-noble parts of meat. A typical preparation provides for cooking <NUM>. of veal bones, cartilage, scraps and foot in the oven at <NUM> for <NUM> minutes, the subsequent addition of <NUM> grams of carrots and <NUM> grams of onion with continued cooking at <NUM> for <NUM> minutes and the final addition, cooking and evaporation of the residual liquids of <NUM> grams of white wine, <NUM> of water, <NUM> grams of celery stalks, <NUM> grams of tomatoes, <NUM> grams of Champignon mushrooms, <NUM> grams of garlic and aromas, chosen from rosemary, bay leaf and peppercorns, for <NUM> hours at <NUM>. Each of said optional ingredients, when present, is preferably in an amount equal to <NUM> parts by weight.

In an embodiment the food composition is an instant dressing which further comprises a flavouring agent.

The flavouring agent can be any of those known for the preparation of risottos. The quantity of flavouring agent to be added can vary within wide limits, depending on the intensity of the taste imparted by the agent for the same weight: for example, saffron is a very light powder of which it is sufficient to add very small quantities for imparting the relative taste to a risotto, whereas for other flavourings such as basil and red turnip, higher quantities must be added. The types of flavouring agents, and the ranges of quantities in which these are to be used, will be apparent to those skilled in the field.

Just a few examples of possible flavouring agents and the quantity ranges within which these must be added to the composition described above for preparing an instant dressing for risottos according to this aspect of the invention, are provided hereunder:.

Similarly, and by adjusting the quantities of flavouring agents on the basis of experience or a few indicative tests, a person skilled in the field can obtain instant dressings with other flavours, for example truffle, amarone, porcini mushrooms, anchovies, parmesan, radish, scampi, pumpkin, champagne, wild herbs, peppers, etc..

In a further aspect, the invention relates to obtaining the composition described above.

The process according to this aspect of the invention comprises the following steps:.

As will be evident to a skilled person in the field, the operations specified above have been indicated with the letters a) to b) in order to be able to clearly identify them, but this does not mean that these operations must necessarily be carried out in the order indicated. They can be effected in any order and consist respectively in the preparation of three different mixtures: step a) rice starch gel, step b) sour butter and mixture of butter, cheese, acidity regulator and at least one additional ingredient.

The process is described hereunder with reference to a typical preparation, wherein the rice starch gel is prepared starting from <NUM> of rice starch; as will be evident to a skilled person in the field, all the quantities listed hereunder can be rescaled if a different quantity of rice is used for obtaining the starch.

For the preparation of the rice starch gel (step a), <NUM>,<NUM> grams of water and <NUM> grams of rice starch are used, and the mixing takes place in a thermal cutter at a temperature of <NUM> at a rate of <NUM>,<NUM> rpm for <NUM> minutes.

For the preparation of sour butter (step b), i.e. an emulsion of onions, butter and white wine vinegar, <NUM> grams of onions, <NUM> grams of butter, <NUM> of white wine and <NUM> of white wine vinegar are used, and the cooking has a duration of <NUM> minutes, at a temperature of <NUM>.

As an alternative to sour butter (step b), wine vinegar can be added, again as an acidity regulator, in a quantity ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> grams, preferably <NUM> grams.

In step b) the components prepared as described above are mixed together.

Step c) is effected at a rate of <NUM>,<NUM> rpm and at a temperature of <NUM> for a duration of <NUM> seconds.

The meat stock used in some compositions of the invention is an ingredient whose preparation is known to skilled persons in the field. According to a typical recipe, it can be prepared by cooking <NUM> of veal bones, cartilage, scraps and foot in the oven at <NUM> for <NUM> minutes; subsequently adding <NUM> grams of carrots, <NUM> grams of onion and continuing cooking at <NUM> for <NUM> minutes; then adding <NUM> grams of white wine, <NUM> of water, <NUM> grams of celery stalks, <NUM> grams of tomatoes, <NUM> grams of champignon mushrooms, <NUM> grams of garlic and herbs selected from rosemary, bay leaf, peppercorns and cooking for <NUM> hours at <NUM> until the residual liquids have evaporated.

Alternatively to meat stock, a meat extract or vegetable extract can be used for preparing a composition of the invention, preferably in a quantity ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>, more preferably equal to <NUM> parts by weight.

The instant dressings of the invention, containing the flavouring agent, can be prepared in different ways.

The flavouring agent can be added, in the quantities indicated above, already in the preparation phase of the composition, in step c) or in step d) of the procedure described above.

Alternatively, the flavouring agent can be added to the composition later, for example when adding this to the rice during the preparation of a risotto.

Both the composition and the instant dressings deriving from the same can be prepared in a single-portion quantity and can be used immediately after preparation, or be prepared in greater quantities for storage before use.

In both cases, for obtaining a reproducible wave risotto, the importance has been noted that the composition or instant dressing containing it be pre-measured.

For this purpose and especially in the case of subsequent storage, the compositions described above, whether including different aromas or not, can be divided into single portions of instant dressing of about <NUM> grams each, so as to allow the average user an easy use and dosage of said compositions, depending on the type and quantity of risotto to be prepared, taking into consideration that indicatively it has been observed that for a quantity of <NUM> grams of rice, <NUM> single portions of instant dressing are required, equivalent to about <NUM> grams of instant dressing comprising the compositions described above.

In this case, specifically the preparation for storage, the procedure described above can further comprise the following steps:.

The blast chilling of step e) has the purpose of maintaining the duration of the portions of the composition or of the dressing according to the invention for a long period of time, thus allowing them to be easily stored; preferably said blast chilling of step e) takes place at a temperature of +<NUM> for a duration of <NUM> minutes.

The blast chilling operations of the process, (steps e and h), take place using equipment and according to procedures known in the food industry.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a rapid preparation of an instant wave risotto, comprising the following steps:.

The inventors have observed that by operating in this way it is possible to obtain a result that is always satisfactory and repeatable, both for domestic environments where the users can be more or less skilled, and in also the catering field, where the staff can be more or less experienced.

The invention will be further described in the following experimental part, including the description of the production examples of the single ingredients of the composition, production of the composition, and production of instant dressings of the invention having various flavours.

In the following examples, a cutter model HM-HOTMIXGASTRO and a Zanussi RF50A <NUM> Tray food blast chiller were used.

<NUM>,<NUM> grams of water were measured and <NUM> grams of rice starch were added. All the ingredients were poured into the glass of the thermal cutter, programmed at a temperature of <NUM> and at a rate of <NUM>,<NUM> rpm. The mixture was stirred for <NUM> minutes at a constant temperature until complete homogeneity. Once the desired uniformity had been reached, the mixture was poured into closed plastic containers and was subjected to blast chilling at +<NUM> in the food blast chiller.

The rice starch gel prepared in this example was used in all the subsequent examples in which this ingredient is mentioned.

Onions were peeled and thinly sliced (<NUM>) to which <NUM> of white wine, <NUM> of white wine vinegar were then added.

The mixture thus obtained was brought to boil at <NUM> for <NUM> minutes, until the alcohol present in the white wine had evaporated.

The heat was then lowered, leaving the mixture to simmer for <NUM> minutes, until the onions were transparent and had absorbed the residual liquid.

Once the mixture had been removed from the heat, <NUM> grams of butter were added and the mixture was stirred, until the butter had completely melted and was incorporated into the hot mixture.

The mixture was finally filtered with a fine mesh strainer and subsequently collected in a container of fatty foods, thus obtaining an emulsion or, in this case, sour butter.

The resulting sour butter was finally blast chilled at +<NUM> for <NUM> minutes.

The sour butter prepared in this example was used in all the subsequent examples in which this ingredient is mentioned.

<NUM> grams of rice and <NUM> grams of water were measured.

When boiling point had been reached after <NUM> minutes at <NUM>, the rice was poured into the water and cooked for <NUM> minutes. The rice was subsequently drained and poured into plates and subjected to blast chilling at +<NUM> for <NUM> minutes.

The ingredients of Table <NUM> were weighed.

The veal bones, with the cartilages and the foot were roasted in the oven at <NUM> for <NUM> minutes.

The carrots and onion were then added and left in the oven at <NUM> for <NUM> minutes.

After removing the fat from the pan, the contents were transferred to a saucepan and blended with half of the wine.

The mixture was then put back into the oven until the liquids had been reduced by half at <NUM> for <NUM> minutes.

The remaining part of the wine and the water were added to the mixture along with the missing ingredients (celery stalk, tomatoes, champignon mushrooms, garlic, and aromas) and left to cook for <NUM> hours at about <NUM>.

The resulting mixture was then filtered in a gauze colander and the liquid was reduced by one third of its initial volume at <NUM> for <NUM> hours, thus obtaining the meat stock.

The meat stock prepared in this example was used in all the subsequent examples where this ingredient is mentioned.

The ingredients of Table <NUM> were weighed and added, except for the rice starch gel, in the glass of the thermal cutter, programmed at a temperature of <NUM> and at a rate of <NUM>,<NUM> rpm.

Rice starch gel was added to the mixture and the ingredients were dissolved and amalgamated in the thermal cutter at a rate of <NUM>,<NUM> rpm and at a temperature of <NUM> for <NUM> seconds, thus obtaining the composition of the invention in the form of a stable and homogeneous emulsion.

The ingredients of Table <NUM> were weighed and added, except for the starch gel, in the glass of the thermal cutter, programmed at a temperature of <NUM> and at a rate of <NUM>,<NUM> rpm.

Rice starch gel was added to the mixture and the ingredients were dissolved and amalgamated for <NUM> minutes in the thermal cutter at a rate of <NUM>,<NUM> rpm and at a temperature of <NUM> for <NUM> seconds, thus obtaining the composition of the invention in the form of a stable and homogeneous emulsion.

Rice starch gel was added to the mixture and the ingredients were dissolved and amalgamated for <NUM> minutes in the thermal cutter at a rate of <NUM>,<NUM> rpm and at a temperature of <NUM> for <NUM> seconds.

The ingredients of Table <NUM> were weighed and added, except for the rice starch gel, in the glass of the thermal cutter, programmed at a temperature of <NUM> and at a rate of <NUM>,<NUM> rpm.

Basil leaves alone were taken and washed for <NUM> minutes in a solution of <NUM> grams of sodium bicarbonate in <NUM> litres of water.

Once the compositions of the invention according to Examples <NUM>-<NUM> had been obtained, in the form of stable and homogeneous emulsions, the latter were poured into silicone moulds and subjected to blast chilling at +<NUM> for <NUM> minutes in the food blast chiller.

The emulsion thus obtained was removed from the silicone moulds and single portions of <NUM> grams each of instant dressing of the composition of the invention were obtained, which were then vacuum-packed and subjected to blast chilling at -<NUM> for <NUM> hours.

<NUM> grams of precooked rice, obtained according to Example <NUM>, were weighed and <NUM> grams of water and <NUM> grams of instant dressing were added, corresponding to <NUM> single portions of instant dressing obtained according to the method described in Example <NUM> using the ingredients indicated in Table <NUM> (Example <NUM>, instant smoke-flavoured dressing). The whole mixture was brought to boil at <NUM> for <NUM> minutes until the single portions had dissolved. The ingredients were mixed with regular and decisive movements until a perfect wave rice had been obtained.

Similar results were obtained using single portions prepared with the dressings of Examples <NUM>-<NUM> (Tables <NUM>-<NUM>).

A risotto according to the present invention was prepared according to what is specified in Example <NUM> with the single portion of instant dressing obtained according to the method described in Example <NUM> using the ingredients indicated in Table <NUM> (Example <NUM>), with the only difference that the rice starch gel was prepared as indicated in Example <NUM>, using Barbera red wine instead of water. This risotto was compared with two risottos obtained by applying the same procedure indicated above, with the same ingredients shown in Table <NUM>, with the only difference that the rice starch gel was respectively replaced with the same amount of.

prepared with the same procedure indicated above for the rice starch gel.

In test i) tapioca starch was used, i.e. the starch most widely used in the food industry for its stability and creaminess. In the present case, however, this starch led to the formation of a risotto with an excessively gelled consistency in which the rice formed a cream that tends to solidify, with the rice itself packed. The product obtained and represented in <FIG> has nothing in common with the wave risotto of the classic Italian rice recipe.

In test ii) modified starch was used, in this case modified corn starch, which dissolved rapidly and, already in the pot, failed to bind and create the classic emulsion cream between water and fat. As can be seen from the photograph in <FIG>, the rice is grainy and loose, with a watery tendency that is accentuated on the palate.

The rice starch dressing according to the present invention, on the contrary, in addition to keeping the taste of the raw material unaltered, gave the rice a natural and unique consistency. The rice starch gel gives a creamy and homogeneous structure to the cooked and creamed product. Visibly, on the plate, the product obtained is shiny and perfectly blended (<FIG>).

The results of the above tests show that the use of the rice starch gel according to the present invention allows a creamy risotto to be obtained with a very low residue of free water.

The risotto prepared as indicated in Example <NUM> with the single portion of instant dressing obtained according to the method described in Example <NUM> using the ingredients shown in Table <NUM> (Example <NUM>) was compared with two risottos btained by applying the same procedure and the same ingredients as in Table <NUM>, with the only difference that the sour butter, added as an acidity regulator, was replaced by.

The products/risottos obtained from test iii) and test iv) were compared with the product/risotto according to the invention of Example <NUM> and were subjected to an evaluation test by a panel of nine people, with an overall assessment that can be summarized as follows:
The risotto in test iii), prepared with lactic acid as an acidifier, was extremely sour and basically not very harmonious, revealing a defect in the balance of flavours.

The risotto in test iv), prepared with citric acid as an acidifier, was flat, devoid of a marked aromaticity, also in this case showing a defect in the balance of flavours.

Claim 1:
A food composition comprising:
- rice starch gel, wherein said rice starch gel is obtained by cooking the rice starch in a quantity of water from <NUM> to <NUM> times the weight of the starch;
- centrifuged and/or surfacing butter in a ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> by weight with respect to the weight (w/w) of the rice starch gel;
- a cheese selected from Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (Parmesan cheese) and Grana Padano DOP in a ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> w/w with respect to the weight of the rice starch gel;
- an acidity regulator selected from sour butter in a ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> w/w with respect to the weight of the rice starch gel and wine vinegar in a ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> w/w with respect to the weight of the rice starch gel;
- salt in a ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> w/w with respect to the weight of the rice starch gel; and
- optionally, one or more ingredients selected from garlic in a ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> w/w, meat stock in a ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> w/w, meat extract in a ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> w/w, plant extract in a ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> w/w, with respect to the weight of the rice starch gel.