Risotto Milanese
Originating from the city of Milan but its original chef cannot be known for certain. The first identifiable Risotto recipe dates to 1809.
"Milanese" means in the style of the city of Milan and in fact, Risotto was invented there. So in essence, all Risotto is Milanese after a fashion. Risotto, a particular way of cooking a very starchy variety of rice, like Arborio or Carnaroli (with the former being the most available in the US), lends itself to an infinite number of added ingredients, like pancetta, cheese, mushrooms, sausage and even seafood. But the classic Risotto Milanese is made with beef stock, bone marrow, Parmesan cheese and flavored with Saffron. Modern interpretations will likely use lard or butter instead of bone marrow.
Risotto is a labor of love, to be sure. It requires human interaction at every point in the cooking process and cannot be left unattended for the 30-40 minutes required to make the dish. For this reason, make sure everything is at a standstill in your kitchen and that you're not distracted with other attentions.
Harvested by Hand
Saffron is a spice derived from the stigmas of the Crocus Sativus flower, with the best in the world exported from Spain. It can be more expensive by weight than gold. An ounce of high quality saffron can cost up to $5,000. The price of gold on the day of this writing was $2,663 per ounce. On average, it takes 75,000 to 80,000 Crocus flowers to produce an ounce of saffron which can only be harvested by hand. In case the math eludes you, it would take 1.2 million flowers to produce a pound of saffron.
The good news about saffron is that it takes very, very little to produce dramatic results in terms of color and flavor. Literally, just a pinch in a whole dish like Risotto. Saffron is sold by threads or by powder, with the latter (if noted as 100% Saffron) is just broken threads and therefore has no difference in taste or color, but can be 20%-40% less expensive. As long as you're buying from a reputable dealer and the saffron powder is labeled as 100% unadulterated saffron, then there is no reason to spend the extra money for threads.
The ingredients for Risotto Milanese are relatively simple. It’s the technique that produces the end result.
Risotto Milanese
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads or unadulterated powder
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1- 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 5 cups beef stock (like Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 7-8 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- freshly shaved Pecorino-Romano cheese for garnish
Instructions
- About 10-15 minutes before starting add the saffron into the wine. If using threads, crush them using your fingers. Give the wine a good stir and set aside to let the spice infuse the wine while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Put the beef stock into a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to maintain the stock at a slow simmer.
- In a Dutch oven or heavy skillet over medium high heat, add two tablespoons of butter and the shallots, and cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the Arborio rice and allow the grains to toast slightly for 3-4 minutes.
- Turn the stove to medium heat and add in the saffron-infused wine. Continually stir until the wine until it is mostly absorbed by the rice.
- Return the stove to medium-high heat and gradually add in ladles of the simmering stock (about a cup), stirring constantly, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid after each addition. The key to a good risotto is to do this process of gradually adding stock while stirring constantly. Continue cooking and adding more stock until the risotto is al dente in a creamy sauce.
- If the rice is not quite tender enough after all the liquid has been added, turn the heat to low, put the lid on the pot and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the remaining butter, parsley and the Parmesan cheese. Test for salt and grind some freshly ground black pepper. Then, let sit for a few minutes to rest before serving.
- Prior to serving, garnish with a little shaved Pecorino-Romano.
Notes
- Note that in high altitudes above 5,000 feet, water boils at a slightly lower temperature and therefore is absorbed by the rice at a slightly slower pace than at sea level. Add 1 cup of beef stock to the recipe if above 5,000 fee
