Saffron Risotto Milanese

Slofoodgroup Team May 24, 2020

Risotto Milanese, the famed dish of Northern Italy using zafferano

Saffron risotto Milanese is a very simple yet delicate dish that deserves the attention of any fine cook or home chef.  It roots date back somewhere between 1500 and 1800 depending on which historian you believe. For purposes of this article, we will focus on the dish and the ingredients, not its' history and lore. As with many great dishes both past and present,  the key to a good risotto is, counterintuitively, using less ingredients.

Quality over quantity with ingredients 

Any dish that uses so very few ingredients, it is very important to use the best products one can find. The best parmesan cheese, the best rice for risotto (Vialone Nano or Carnaroli rice) and the best saffron, which you can also find in our shop. We don’t need a pungent saffron for this dish as we don’t want for the flavor to overpower the dish. That is why we strongly recommend using just a pinch of our  Sargol cut saffron as it does not overpower the dish. The result is a bright, vibrant and creamy risotto that will leave you satisfied and day dreaming of Northern Italy.  

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• .5 onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 6 tbsp risotto rice
• 3 cups veggie or chicken stock
• Pinch of Saffron
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Fry the onion in olive oil until translucent; add the rice and saffron and stir for 1 minute more;
2. Add the wine and cook until the wine has evaporated;
3. Slowly and gradually add the stock to the pan while stirring constantly; add as little or as much stock until the rice has doubled in size and cooked;
4. Add the parmesan cheese, cook for 1-2 minutes more and serve.