SAFFRON RISOTTO

The simplest Italian rice recipe 😋

Recipe for two people

This creamy saffron risotto [or Risotto alla Milanese] is one of the simplest risottos you can make, but feels extra special and is for sure a great comfort food.  

It can be served as a hearty vegetarian main or a sophisticated side dish with stewed meats like Osso buco [see our other recipe for Osso Buco], and it is perfect for every season.

Saffron risotto is possibly Milan’s most famous dish and it is an Italian cuisine’s staple.

This fairly traditional Italian rice recipe comes together easily, it is both light and filling, and never fails to impress.

A little history

Saffron is an ancient spice, already known in Egyptian times and regarded even by Greek mythology, where a love triangle between young Crocus, nymph Smilax, and Hermes made the god blinded by jealousy so much to turn Crocus into the delicate flower.  

At first the pistils of the crocus flower were only used to dye fabrics and make perfumes and ointments, but once discovered their amazing culinary properties, saffron became a precious ingredient.

Legend goes that this dish was born in 1574 following the experiment of an eccentric painter who wanted to impress his guests by painting their food. He did so by adding to the recipe a pinch of saffron which he would usually use to create a special yellow shade for his paintings.

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INGREDIENTS👇🏻

• 160g | 5.6oz carnaroli rice

• 1 tsp saffron

• 60g | 2.1oz butter

• 40g | 1.4 oz Parmigiano cheese

• ½ white onion

• Extra virgin olive oil

The recipe step by step

1. Infuse a pinch of saffron in warm water, chop the onion finely and grate your Parmigiano cheese;
   

2. Heat up the vegetable broth and keep it simmering;
   

3. Sizzle the onion until softened in half the butter, then add some broth and toast the rice in it for 3 minutes;
   

4. Keep adding broth and stirring the rice for about 15 minutes until it’s cooked;
   

5. Add the saffron and its infused water, stir and let simmer until the rice absorbs all the liquid;
   

6. Turn off the heat and stir in the rest of the butter and the grated Parmigiano cheese;
   

7. Cover and let it rest for 2 minutes… then enjoy! 😋.