Risi e Bisi

A Venetian tradition since the 15th century, served on April 25 — the Feast of San Marco, the city's patron — to the Doge as the first dish of state banquets in the Palazzo Ducale. Spring peas were the season's first vegetable after winter, and rice arrived from the nearby Veronese paddies; the dish marked the calendar pivot from cold to warm cooking.

Venetian tradition since the 15th century, served on April 25 — Feast of San Marco — to the Doge as the first dish of state banquets. Looser than risotto, wetter than soup; Venetians say all'onda (with a wave) — it should ripple if you tilt the plate. The pea-pod broth is the load-bearing trick most modern recipes skip: empty pods simmered 30 minutes give it the sweet-grassy depth and color.

Looser than risotto, wetter than soup — the Venetians say all'onda, "with a wave," meaning it should ripple if you tilt the plate. Vialone Nano rice cooked in a pea-pod broth with pancetta and onion, finished with butter and parmigiano. Whole peas suspended throughout. Eaten with a spoon, never a fork. Done right, the rice still has bite; done wrong it's pea porridge.

The pea-pod broth is the load-bearing trick most modern recipes skip: empty pods simmered 30 minutes give the dish its sweet-grassy depth and green color. Discard the pods, cook the rice in this broth, drop the shelled peas in only at the last 5 minutes. Cooking peas alongside the rice for 18 minutes turns them army-drab.