Behold my Easter dinner. It's a risotto milanese, a risotto with saffron. Gorgeously golden, and deliciously aromatic, it's actually the first time I've made one. Why? No idea. It's so very tasty. And saffron, even though it *is* very expensive, isn't all that elusive. (And no, you don't need the finest stuff for this dish - a cheaper one will work very well.)
I served it with a Green Butter Lemon Chicken, that I'll tell you all about in a few days!
Risotto Milanese
serves 4
2 small yellow onions, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
pat of butter
splash of olive oil
1/2 g of saffron (one sachet)
400 ml arborio rice (about 330 g)
250 ml white wine
approx. 1,2 liters of vegetable stock
two small handfuls of freshly grated parmesan
1 tbsp runny honey
Heat the vegetable stock. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil, and gently fry the garlic and the onions. Add the rice, and stir on high heat until rice turns slightly golden. Add the wine, and let it cook in. Add the saffron. Start adding stock - one ladlefull at a time - stirring all the time. When the risotto looks dry, add more stock. Keep tasting - it'll take about 20 minutes in total. You might not use all the stock, and you might need more (just use hot water).
When done, stir in the honey and the parmesan, and add seasoning to taste if you want to.
And, to make this appropriate for Barbara's new challenge "The Spice is Right!", I'm reminding you that saffron is indeed an ancient spice. I won't bother with details, but head over to Wikipedia to learn more! In Sweden, it's mostly used at christmas time, and especially in saffron buns - soft yeasted buns with a strong saffron flavor. Deee-lish. But very christmassy - this risotto can be enjoyed all year round.
Edit: I better add that honey and garlic are not usually included in a risotto milanese. Just so you know. But in my opinion, it sure makes it a lot tastier.
Risotto Milanese
20 comments:
Sooo... yummy! Thank you for a really good easter dinner.
I love you blog!
Looks absolutely scrumptious!
Hi anne,
I'm Petula from Milano...Beautiful blog. I read your posts everyday!!!!!
But...no garlic and honey in original recipe of risotto alla milanese...
Petula - you're absolutely right. They're my own additions - and well, I pretty much add them to every risotto I ever make. :)
Lena - glad, as always, to have you over! :)
Sage - thank you so much!
Ulla & Pamela - thank you :)
A really lovely risotto!
The colour is beautiful.
j
Looks yummy!, I'll be trying adding honey, sounds interesting. Have you tried melting in the butter narrow bone? It add a lot of flavor!
Love your blog!!
Anonymous - bone marrow? No, I've never cooked with that (nor eaten it). I have no idea where to find it, either.. it sounds a bit scary :)
You can ask your butcher, I prefer buy it kosher because is already clean, all that you have to do is take the marrow out of the bone and melt it with the butter
Sorry but you forgot too many ingredients and you put too many you can't really call this a risotto alla milanese... try again.
Anonymous - well, sorry you feel that way! As is already established, it's not a completely traditional recipe. If you want a traditional one, I'm sure you can find that in many other places. My blog - my recipes. And as for "try again" - well, rest assured that I have tried many varieties, and this is one that I prefer. Feel free to try whatever you'd like, it's a free world...
I'm really sorry but if yor recipies are not "traditional" you should not use "traditional" names for them. Call them as you like but not with names that can be taken for italian recipies if they're not even close to beeing correct.
You cannot really think you can use garlic for a risotto alla milanese and expect not to be criticized by any italian who reads them... and garlic is really the least... but anyway if you're not open to criticism.... don't open a blog.
Anonymous - well, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. As I am to mine, I suppose? Critizism is perfectly fine - especially the constructive kind. Want to share your favorite recipe for risotto milanese? I'd love to see it.
And, just for the record - I don't believe in ultimate recipes for anything. I don't think they exist. Classic dishes are classics because they are cooked by many, many, many people, that all have their own twist. See for instance spaghetti bolognese, chicken tikka masala, cheeseburgers, caesar salad, and many, many others...
Spaghetti alla bolognese! Have you ever been in Bologna. That recipe doesn't even exist! It's a "schifezza" created for tourists who didn't know the ragout... next time you will talk about "pepperoni pizza"? listen stick to things about which you konw at least something and leave alone italian "classic" dishes. If you want a correct recipe for risotto ALLA milanese (by the way in italian propositions are not optional) you will find it in any real italian cookbook and you'll find out that it's always the same... 'cause it really is a classic!And you'll also find out that garlic and olive oil are eally something very very far from beeing something milanese... Sorry if I hurt your feelings but truth must be said.
Anonymous - wow, you seem to have such an insight. Or at least a strong opinion. You're absolutely not hurting my feelings, so don't worry about that. If you won't recommend a recipe, can you recommend a cookbook then? Since the recipes in my cookbooks all differ, I probably don't have any what you would consider "real Italian cookbooks". And well - I write in English, not in Italian. Not even trying to have Italian names for the dishes, but if I decide to change that, I'll have your kind advice in mind.
And well, if you're crusading against everyone who posts recipes that are in your opinion not the real thing, you have your work cut out for you. A simple google search on "risotto milanese" brings up a rather wide variety of recipes. (Most including olive oil, as it happens.)
As you see I'm not the first italian who tells you the same thing about olive oil and garlic (remember Petula?). And that's becouse in Milan they rather use butter than oil ... Not all of Italy is on the sea you know. And if are a cook who looks for recipes on google, well that alone speaks books... It's not me who have too strong opinions, it's probably you who can't see that if two italians write you the same thing probably there is a reason; and the reason is that you, simply, are wrong.
So please admit it.
Anonymous - did you also read my response to Petula, where I say that those are my own additions? And, umm, she talks about honey and garlic - not olive oil. And for your information - I much prefer cookbooks, but I did a simple google search right now to see what would turn up. In fact, I guess that's how you found me, too? Or why else would you comment on a one year old blog post..?
I really don't know what you'd like me to do - admit what, exactly? Like I've already said, numerous times now, this is my recipe and not The Grand Master Recipe. With my additions. My style. I'm sure you're absolutely correct that butter is used rather than olive oil in Milan, but there also seems to be an awful lot of people who prefer olive oil to butter, both for flavor and health aspects. Me, I rather use a little bit of both.
I could tell you about the differences of burning temperature between olive oil and butter...
But that's not the problem. The problem is that you should simply change the name of your recipe into "Ann's style risotto". I'd rather not eat it but...
Really honey ...
Anonymous - yes, well, so could I. Won't really matter here since it's not heated very high in this recipe, but well, sure. And thanks for your opinion. Not planning on changing the name of this one year old post, nope. (And if I did? It'd be Anne, and not Ann.) I hope we are done now. You can go pick on someone else - or why not write an article for Wikipedia, since theirs also state that olive oil is fine to use. Your mission to educate the masses has a long way to go, and I doubt my little blog is the best place to start.
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