Red Wine Risotto with Beans and Capicola

In the Piedmont region of northern Italy, panissa refers to a risotto-like dish made hearty by the addition of beans and a type of local salami called salam d'la duja. (Panissa is an entirely different food in neighboring Liguria—it’s a chickpea-flour mixture that’s been cooled, cut into pieces and deep-fried.) In panissa Piemontese, red wine stains the rice a shade of pinkish red and its acidity helps lighten the rich flavors. For our quick weeknight adaptation, we use canned Roman beans, which also are sold as borlotti or cranberry beans, and we use easy-to-find capicola (or prosciutto) instead of specialty salami. We add chopped arugula for its vibrant color and peppery bite.