Recipes 
Courses Risotto alla milanese is such a delight to cook! It turns out creamy, buttery, with a light saffron aroma and a hint of white wine. I love cooking a good risotto – stirring it, watching it, letting the patience do its magic.
I finished high school in Lugano, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, at a public lyceum. When I moved there at 15, I didn’t know the language at all. Studying without understanding anything was tough, but I was lucky with my teachers. Our teacher of Italian, for example, was fantastic! He looked exactly like Richard Gere, was pacing around the classroom, speaking loudly, gesticulating, and then, suddenly, he’d fall silent, sit on the edge of the table, take off his glasses and start whispering. Sometimes I thought he was going to sing “Razzle Dazzle” from the Chicago musical.
I’m telling you this, because the first thing we learned in his class was an old risotto alla milanese recipe! Can you imagine? Not grammar or punctuation, but a recipe! And it wasn’t just a text, it was a work of art. I translated it with a special pleasure (with a help of a dictionary, as there was no google translate yet). The author, Carlo Gadda, described in detail which ingredients to choose, how much butter to use, and how to dissolve the bone marrow for the best risotto alla milanese. But he gave a very special attention to the rice. Carlo Gadda emphasised that: “Risotto should become creamy, but each grain should retain its individuality”. I think that’s a brilliant way to describe the perfect risotto consistency. Since then, risotto has become my signature dish and I would like to offer you a slightly simplified version that you can easily cook at home.
A few tips so everything turns out perfectly:
- To make a perfect risotto, it is essential to choose the right rice. In my opinion, Italian Arborio or Carnaroli are the best varieties.
- Finely chop the onion so it softens quickly without needing to cook a long time. It’s ready when it no longer crunches between your teeth. Onion shoud be soft before your proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- Add the broth gradually. The rice should be constantly in the liquid, but not floating in it.
- Add the cheese at the very end, after turning off the heat. It’s important that some liquid remains in the risotto at this stage. As you stir, the liquid will blend with the butter and melted cheese, creating a rich, creamy texture of risotto.
- Keep in mind that even after you turn off the heat, the rice will continue to absorb the liquid, causing the risotto to thicken slightly and reach the perfect consistency.
- And lastly, keep in mind the most important thing about risotto – it should be enjoyed immediately (no reheating). In Italy there is a saying that: “Guests wait for risotto, and no the other way around”. So let’s serve our risotto alla milanese the Italian way!
Of course risotto alla milanese is fabulous enough to be served on its own. But if you want to go extra – make some juicy turkey saltimbocca with it or a traditional ossobuco alla milanese.
Ingredients
- Arborio rice (or Carnaroli ) 160 g
- broth (your favorite) 500 ml
- butter 50 g
- onion 1/2
- white wine 90 ml
- Parmesan (grated) 40 g
- saffron 1/2 tsp
- water 50 ml
Instructions
- Prepare 500 ml broth (or dissolve 1 broth cube). Chop 1/2 onion very finely. Dissolve 1/2 tsp saffron in 50 ml of warm water.
- Heat a little olive oil and 10 g butter in a high-sided skillet and fry the onion over medium heat. It should become very soft, but not golden brown.
- When the onions are ready, add 160 g rice and let it absorb the oil, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 90 ml wine and as soon as it boils down, start adding 500 ml hot broth: a couple of ladles at a time and let it boil down, while stirring. The rice should be constantly in the liquid, but not floating in it. It will gradually begin to release starch and become creamy.
- Cook for about 15–20 minutes. Taste it, and if the rice is almost ready (you can try it, it should still be a bit firm), pour in the saffron water. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Add 40 g butter, 40 g cheese and half a ladle of broth. Stir vigorously to "whip" it up a bit - mantecare in Italian. Enjoy it immedietely!
Notes
- To make perfect risotto, choosing the right rice is essential. In my opinion, Italian Arborio or Carnaroli are the best varieties.
- Finely chop the onion so it softens quickly without needing to fry long time. It’s ready when it no longer crunches between your teeth.
- Add the broth gradually. The rice should be constantly in the liquid, but not floating in it.
- Add the cheese at the very end, after turning off the heat. It’s important that some liquid remains in the risotto at this stage. As you stir, the liquid will blend with the butter and melted cheese, creating a rich, creamy texture of risotto.
- Keep in mind that even after you turn off the heat, the rice will continue to absorb the liquid, causing the risotto to thicken slightly and reach the perfect consistency.
