Risotto alla Milanese
Saffron Risotto
Risotto alla Milanese is a dish of creamy rice cooked in broth and seasoned with saffron and Parmesan cheese. What
separates risotto from other rice dishes is the cooking technique: rather than cooking the rice submerged in water, in risotto, the rice is first toasted and then liquid is introduced, a little bit at a time, allowing the rice to
absorb it. A final addition of butter and cheese, and a lot of stirring throughout, creates a dish with a very creamy texture. Key to this result is the use of a rice with high starch, usually arborio or carnaroli. Making this
dish was a little bit emotional for me. My mother's family immigrated to Argentina from Lombardy and thus risotto was part of my mother's limited culinary repertoire. I didn't eat rice as a child, however, so I don't think I
actually ever tasted it, but the image of the yellow rice and the super tiny yellow tin boxes in which the saffron came is forever engraved in my memory. My
parents used to add champiñones - mushrooms - to the rice, another thing I would only try as an adult. While I learned to like rice as an adult, I never actually thought about making risotto until I came to cook
Lombard food. On the one hand, I was intimidated by the trope that real risotto is hard to make. On the other, I discovered Spanish paella, another dish of
saffron-flavored rice, but one that also incorporates meats and vegetables, making it a complete meal. I made this risotto last night, two weeks after my mother passed away. I had offered to make it to her before she died but
health concerns had at first made her spurn rice and later, she just had just lost interest in most types of foods. As I made this dish, however, I wished I had remembered to ask her how she had made her risoto. Did she use
this involved technique or had it been simplified across the generations? It doesn't matter, of course, but it's just one of many questions that I'll never be able to ask. I'm happy to say that while this dish requires a lot
of attention and stirring, it's not hard to make. You do end up with a luscious and tasty rice. In Italy, risotto is served as a primo piatto (first course), and the recipe below will serve two as such, but beware of how
rich and caloric this dish is. Risotto alla milanese is also the usual accompaniment to ossobuco and the two are magic together.
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Risotto alla Milanese
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp butter, divided
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 oz bone marrow (optional)
- 4 cups beef, chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/3 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
- salt to taste
- 2/3 cup dry white or red wine
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads, ground
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions
Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the olive oil. Add the onion and bone marrow, if using, and sauté until soft and transparent, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, bring the broth to a
boil in a small saucepan. Turn heat down to very low, and keep simmering while you prepare the risotto.
Increase heat under the saucepan with the onions to medium. Add the rice and stir to make sure every grain is coated. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the rice is toasted, stirring frequently. Season with salt to taste. Add the wine to the onions and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it's mostly evaporated.
Turn heat to medium-low, add 1/2 cup or a ladle of broth to the rice, stirring constantly to incorporate. Repeat, one ladle at the time, until all of the broth is incorporated into the rice. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 17 minutes. Stir in the saffron and cook until the rice is creamy but still firm. Stir in the remaining butter and the grated cheese. Turn off the heat and stir vigorously for 2 minutes.
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Adapted from Fulvio de Santa's recipe as written in Claudia Roden's 1990's The Good Food of Italy and Elvis Dollenga's recipe on YouTube.
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