Milanese Risotto (Saffron Risotto)
Milanese saffron risotto
This creamy Milanese saffron risotto, loaded with butter and cheese, is my absolute favourite rice dish. This vivid yellow risotto is delicious and nourishing when made with nutritious home-made chicken broth.
Risotto alla Milanese is the quintessential dish of the city of Milan, Italy. Most commonly served with a hearty veal shank osso bucco, this dish is loaded with butter and cheese in the typical northern Italian style.
This famous Italian saffron dish is easy to make but it does require patience and attention. Read my top tips for making perfectly delicious risotto every time.
What is the secret to a good risotto?
The right type of medium-grain rice, such as Arborio or Carnaroli
Good quality chicken or veal broth, preferably home-made
Slow gently cooking, don’t let the onions brown or the rice dry out
Gradually adding more liquid and waiting until it is almost all absorbed by the rice until you add more
Well-cooked rice grains that have a springy texture and separate easily. Under-cooked grains will be hard to bite and over-cooked grains will be porous and clumpy.
Adding lots of butter at the end and then maybe some more.
Adding the cheese at the very last minute before because it can dry out the risotto very quickly
If the risotto does dry out, you can save it by adding a little more stock or tepid water.
What is risotto?
Risotto, from the word riso, is an Italian rice dish cooked with broth or stock until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and Parmesan cheese. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. Risotto in Italy is usually a first course (primo), served before a second course (secondo), but risotto alla milanese or saffron risotto is often served with ossobuco alla milanese a hearty veal shank stew as a one-course meal.
Is risotto rice or pasta?
Risotto is an Italian rice dish made with medium-grain rice such as Arborio. However, there is a pasta shape called riso which is usually served in broth.
What is good to put in risotto?
Risotto absorbs flavours very well. Popular risottos are saffron risotto (Risotto alla milanese), mushroom risotto, truffle risotto, seafood risotto, and vegetable risottos such as asparagus risotto. Plain risotto with just butter and cheese is also delicious on its own.
What is a good subsitute for Arborio rice?
Any good quality medium grain rice such as Carnaroli, spanish bomba or a medium-grain Japonica rice like Koshihikari. This handy rice guide from The Perfect Rice lists out Arborio alternatives available in various parts of the world.
Why put saffron in risotto?
Rice is the perfect backdrop for the earthy fragrance of precious saffron. Saffron also gives risotto a beautiful vivid yellow colour.
What is saffron?
Saffron is a spice derived from the threads of the saffron crocus flower (Crocus sativus, . The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent in food. The saffron crocus was slowly propagated throughout much of Eurasia and was later brought to parts of North Africa, North America, and Oceania. Today, 990% of the world’s saffron comes from Iran, where it is featured heavily in Persian cuisine, in particular in rice dishes.
What pairs well with milanese risotto a.k.a. saffron risotto?
Milanese risotto is typically paired with Osso Buco, a hearty veal stew from Miilan, Italy. This combination is eaten as a main course (Secondo) wheras other risottos are served as a first course (Primo).
Is risotto healthy?
Risotto is full of nutrients when made with homemade or high quality chicken or meat broth, butter and cheese so therefore is far more nourishing than plain rice. However, risotto is calorie dense.
Why is saffron so expensive?
Each crocus flower can only produce only three threads of saffron so it can take a whole field to produce a single jar of saffron. It takes 75,000 saffron flowers to make one pound of saffron spice.
Why do you bloom saffron?
Blooming saffron by grinding it down and then steeping it in hot water helps release the essential oils from the saffron and optimise this expensive delicate space. Blooming saffron is typical in Iranian kitchens, read more about blooming saffron here.
Is saffron healthy?
Saffron is a brightly-coloured spice that's high in health-promoting compounds, such as carotenoid antioxidants. Research findings suggest saffron has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and may improve heart health, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, improve sleep, and protect eye health
Milanese Risotto (Risotto with Saffron)
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups 320g Arborio or another medium grain rice
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2oz or 60g butter
- 10-15 strands of saffron
- 1 litre of high quality chicken broth or stock
- 2oz 60g of freshly grated parmesan cheese